A suspect killed in a police shooting in Weatherford on Christmas Eve had ties to two out-of-state crimes, according to Weatherford police.
The altercation began at 8 a.m. on December 24 when police officers responded to a report regarding a carjacking in Georgia the previous day.
An officer located the stolen vehicle on the 200 block of York Avenue and attempted to make contact with the occupant, but the driver sped away and turned onto U.S. Highway 180.
Eventually, the car struck another vehicle near Ric Williamson Memorial Highway. That is when the driver, 32-year-old Michael Delaney, got out of the car and allegedly started firing a gun at police.
Delaney fired more than 25 rounds at police officers, according to The Weatherford Democrat. He was struck multiple times when police returned fire. Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene. A 9mm handgun with an extended magazine was found near his body, police said.
Though the alleged carjacking was committed in Georgia, the deadly unfolding of events prompted by a stolen vehicle occurred in North Texas, where auto thefts in the region’s biggest city — Dallas — have been allowed by its city council to skyrocket in recent years, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
After the suspect in Weatherford was identified following the apparent exchange of gunfire, it was discovered that he was listed as a person of interest in a Michigan homicide that occurred on December 17 in Benton Township, an hour away from Grand Rapids, where a 30-year-old female was shot to death at an apartment complex.
The woman was reportedly shot on the second floor of the apartment building before her body was dragged down a stairway and walkway. Police believe Delaney may have had a prior relationship with the woman, The Weatherford Democrat reported.
“On [December 26], we were contacted by police agencies in Texas in regards to Michael Delaney,” said Sgt. Tyler Tiefenbach, a spokesperson for the Benton Charter Township Police Department.
“We were informed that Delaney had been involved in an officer-involved shooting in Weatherford, Texas and that he had succumbed to his injuries as a result. At this time, no other information is being released, and we will be continuing to investigate this homicide.”
Delaney was also a person of interest in a December 23 armed carjacking in Georgia.
Weatherford police released a photograph of the 9mm handgun allegedly found near Delaney’s body and said they expect to release more information, including body camera footage, in the next few days.
No officers were injured in the shootout, and Texas Rangers are investigating, which is common practice for officer-involved shootings.
