A Garland SWAT officer fatally shot a motel tenant Tuesday afternoon after he pointed a gun at police during a standoff at Motel 6.
Officers later discovered a second person, already deceased, in the same room.
Garland police responded to a disturbance call at Motel 6 at 12721 LBJ Freeway around 1:50 p.m. June 3. Hotel management reported that a tenant had overstayed his paid reservation and was causing a disturbance. When officers attempted to speak with the tenant, he pointed a firearm at them, prompting the officers to take cover.
Due to the tenant’s prior aggravated assault charge on a peace officer with a deadly weapon and the high-risk nature of the situation, Garland police deployed their SWAT team. Detectives obtained a warrant for the tenant’s room, and nearby motel rooms were evacuated as a precaution.
SWAT negotiators attempted to communicate with the suspect via loudspeaker and phone calls for several hours, but he refused to respond. After failed negotiations, the SWAT team deployed tear gas to force the suspect to surrender. As a SWAT officer approached the room’s window, the suspect confronted the officer with a firearm, police said. The officer discharged his department-issued rifle, striking and killing the suspect.
Upon entering the room, SWAT officers found the suspect deceased and discovered a second individual, also deceased, who investigators believe had been dead “for some time prior to the incident.” No officers were injured.
“This is a tragedy, however you play it out,” said Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau. “I mean, we have two people that were dead. One, because they displayed a gun toward a police officer. And the other person, we’re still trying to determine what was the cause of death. But nonetheless, families have been impacted here.”
The identities of both the suspect and the second deceased individual have not been released, pending confirmation by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office and notification of next of kin. Authorities have not disclosed the relationship between the two individuals or whether the suspect was involved in the second person’s death.