A man from Dallas was charged last week for allegedly firing a gun at an ATF officer.
Michael Fagan, 30, was charged on April 19 with allegedly assaulting or impeding a federal officer on April 6 during an apparent road rage altercation at approximately 8 p.m., according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) via WFAA.
Fagan could get as many as 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
The DOJ said in a complaint that an SUV allegedly driven by Fagan was bypassing cars in the far-right turn lane close to the Dallas Arboretum and ran a red light.
The ATF agent observed Fagan allegedly “yelling and flailing his arms.” The agent, believing that the man might have been experiencing some kind of an issue that required attention, proceeded to roll down his window and ask the man if everything was okay.
At that point, Fagan began yelling at the ATF agent in a manner that the agent said made no sense. Then Fagan allegedly pulled a semiautomatic pistol and pointed the gun at the ATF agent.
The agent reportedly shouted, “Don’t,” and ducked underneath the dashboard of his car. The agent claims he heard two gunshots.
Afterward, the agent returned fire, shooting at Fagan three times and ultimately hitting him.
Fagan allegedly fled the scene and met up with his girlfriend, who called 911 after she learned he had been shot, the DOJ said.
He was taken to Baylor Hospital. He claimed to police that he had been out at a club drinking and that he shot at someone who had been tailgating him.
“Mr. Fagan’s behavior two weeks ago was allegedly violent and hostile; two adjectives that don’t go well with firearm possession,” Jeffrey C. Boshek II, special agent in charge for the ATF Dallas Field Division, said via WFAA. “While acting in this manner, he encountered a highly trained and dedicated ATF Special Agent. Luckily for the citizens of Dallas, that ATF Special Agent was able to put a stop to Mr. Fagan’s alleged acts of violence.”
Five casings were recovered from the scene–three of which matched the ATF agent’s firearm, while the other two came from another firearm.
There have been 828 weapons violations thus far this year in Dallas, according to the Dallas crime analytics overview dashboard, up 2.5% from the same time period last year.
The shooting took place in Dallas City Council Member Paula Blackmon’s District 9. Blackmon’s district was recently in the news because home and business burglaries have increased in her district by significant margins, logging a 29.6% bump in February.
