A burglary suspect is dead after a DeSoto police officer shot him Monday morning.
According to a press release posted on the department’s Facebook page, officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Polk Street in DeSoto at 11:38 a.m. after a resident reported that a burglar had broken into their home. The caller said a man was in their home brandishing an unknown item.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the reportedly armed suspect outside the home, police said.
The suspect, who was later identified as 47-year-old Michael Christopher Nunez, “advanced toward” the police. At least one officer fired at the suspect, hitting him. Nunez died from his injuries, according to police.
The officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy, and now the Grand Prairie Police Department’s Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Team, along with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division, are heading the investigation into the shooting.
The DeSoto Police Department’s press release did not specify the type of weapon or “unknown item” Nunez allegedly had in his possession.
The Dallas Express reached out to the DeSoto Police Department for additional information and comment, but no further information about Nunez or the weapon was made available.
Police have also not released any additional details about the initial 911 call.
According to statistics from the City of DeSoto website, the local police department handled six burglary cases in January, based on the most recent report available. This is a surprisingly low figure considering the city’s proximity to Dallas — which is about 15 miles from the downtown area.
Dallas has dealt with nearly 1,300 cases of reported burglary this year so far, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard. Despite the hard work of local police, Dallas City leaders have been unable to get crime under control in recent years, with murders jumping up by more than 30% year-to-date.