Police Officer Shot By Man He Just Helped

A Dallas Independent School District (ISD) police officer was critically wounded Thursday after authorities say a man he had just rescued from a dangerous situation on a Dallas-area freeway shot him.

The shooting happened around 11 a.m. local time in the parking lot of a Walmart and Sam’s Club in Northwest Dallas.

According to Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux, Dallas ISD Officer Justin Jones had been flagged down by a person experiencing an apparent mental health crisis on the LBJ Freeway. Jones helped remove the individual from the highway and drove him to the nearby shopping center parking lot.

“After he got to this parking lot, he was trying to talk to the person who is now a suspect,” Comeaux said. “He was getting out of the car and then we had a shooting that occurred. The officer was shot.”

Authorities said Jones suffered a gunshot wound to the lower torso or upper leg. Dallas ISD Police Chief Albert Martinez said Jones was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Martinez said Jones, 39, has served with the Dallas ISD Police Department for 16 years and is assigned to W.T. White High School.

“He was helping somebody in crisis, as we expect the officers to serve in the community,” Martinez said. “We’re grateful to all the help that we have received. He’s in our prayers. We thank Parkland, the amazing surgeons there at the trauma center that do what they do.”

Martinez also praised another Dallas ISD officer who responded to the scene and applied a tourniquet before paramedics arrived, helping stabilize Jones. Officials said Jones is expected to survive.

A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, though authorities have not yet released the person’s identity or announced any charges. Police have also not disclosed what led the suspect to open fire after Jones transported him from the freeway.

Investigators cordoned off the shopping center parking lot as officers searched the surrounding area. Images showed numerous police vehicles, crime scene tape surrounding Jones’ patrol vehicle, and evidence markers near the suspect’s vehicle.

The investigation remains ongoing.