Four uniformed police officers in Dallas ambushed while helping accident victims roadside

Four uniformed police officers in Dallas ambushed while
helping accident victims roadside 1

DALLAS, TX – On October 31st in East Dallas, four uniformed police officers were reportedly assisting victims at the scene of a traffic accident when gunfire started going off that is presumed to have been aimed at the officers.

The shooting occurred just two minutes before 7:00 p.m. on the 31st, where two Dallas Police officers and two Mesquite Police officers were assisting victims of a traffic accident at the intersection of John West Road and La Prada Drive.

According to Dallas Police Association president Mike Mata, the shooting appears to have been directed at the police officers:

“They were waiting on a wrecker and directing traffic when all of the sudden bullets are coming their way.”

After the first shot was fired, an additional four to five shots rang off in the officers’ direction. Acting quickly, the officers took cover and called in for backup.

The officers were then able to make their way over to where the gunfire was believed to have originated from in an effort to find the suspect or suspects responsible.

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When the officers were running toward the believed direction of the gunfire, they reportedly heard some screaming around the 8300 block of La Prada Drive. Eventually, police had happened upon a 19-year-old suspect that authorities believe may be the gunman.

The suspect was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon and also marijuana possession. Police are currently testing the gun retrieved from the suspect to determine if it indeed was the one fired that evening.

Currently, officials have not revealed the names of the officers alleged to have been targeted in the attack, nor the name of the alleged offender.

From what Mata says regarding the incident, this matter is indicative of a broader problem occurring within the country when it pertains to how police officers are both painted and perceived by a dangerous – but vocal – small segment of the population:

“If it comes through attrition that this is the individual that fired those rounds at officers, it absolutely was intentional and unfortunately, it’s a narrative that’s being carried across the country by a very small percentage, but vocal amount of people.”

Mata pointed at the types of examples that have been seen in the recent months, with officers being attacked and seemingly targeted for simply being police officers:

“The protests that we’ve had in the past, we’ve had individuals that were throwing bricks. What happened in New Orleans with that officer that was shot in the face doing nothing but sitting in his squad car. This narrative that the police are the public’s enemy has to stop because it is not true.”

The incident that Mata was referring to, regarding the New Orleans Police officer shot, was something we reported on just recently here at Law Enforcement Today.

Here’s the background on that ongoing case.

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – Two police officers within New Orleans that were injured on October 30th in what was described as an “ambush” in the French Quarter have been identified.

While little has been revealed about the suspected shooter’s motive and history by officials, they’ve stated that the suspect is from out of state.  

Officers Trevor Abney and Brooke Duncan IV from the New Orleans Police Department were the officers fired upon on October 30th while simply being on patrol in the afternoon.

Police say that the suspected shooter is 44-year-old Donnell Linwood Hassell, who is reportedly from Georgia.

Donnell Linwood Hassell – New Orleans Police DepartmentDonnell Linwood Hassell – New Orleans Police Department

Officer Abney was said to have been with the NOPD for four years while Officer Duncan has been with the department for 16 tears.

Donovan Livaccari, Attorney for The Fraternal Order of Police, stated that police have become increasingly more aware of the threat of random attacks on law enforcement while also pointing out there’s not much officers can do to really prepare for or “prevent” these types of attacks:

“Ambushes have been something that have been on our radar for quite some time now. It’s something that you always train and prepare for…They were just on routine patrol, stopping at a stop sign.  I mean there’s no, how could you prevent that?”

The suspect was said to have simply opened fire on the officers while he was in the back of a pedicab, striking Officer Abney in the cheek causing the bullet to have lodged into the officer’s skull.

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Officer Abney was cited as being in serious but stable condition while being treated at the University Medical Center.

Officer Duncan was said to have suffered far less severe injuries from the attack, having sustained minor abrasions from the police cruiser glass that shattered from the gunfire.

According to FOP attorney Livaccari, who has since spoken to Officer Duncan following the attack, he mentioned that Officer Duncan sensed something wasn’t right prior to the gunfire:

“There were certain, you know, motions and glances that kind of, I guess, made the, the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It’s kind of, maybe that sixth sense that policemen develop over the years.”

While it seems that Officer Duncan will be just fine, Officer Abney – an Iraq war veteran – isn’t exactly out of the woods yet.

Livaccari noted that community members need to see officers as being something else than just a badge and acknowledge the person behind it while asking for prayers regarding Officer Abney’s injuries:

“Policemen are human beings just like everybody else, you know. They’re your neighbors. They’re my neighbors.  Their kids go to school with my kids and your kids. Just got to keep, keep officer Abney in our prayers.”

Reportedly the suspect alleged to be the shooter has not been booked into the jail yet, as he was said to have been first checked into a hospital after his October 30th arrest for what was described as a “medical episode”.

According to Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson, no officers reportedly fired their weapons at Hassell when taking him into custody following the shooting:

“He is not – again, he is not – physically harmed at all. Our officers did not discharge any weapons. They did not fire any of their firearms. So, I want to commend those officers who maintained their professionalism.”

It’s believed that once Hassell is released from the hospital that he will be booked into jail under two charges of attempted murder of a peace officer.

When commenting on the reality officers are currently facing, Livaccari stated that awareness of how dire things are is needed more than ever:

“This is a time to be vigilant and to make sure that everybody gets to go home at the end of the day.”

If Hassell is both charged and convicted of attempted murder against the officers, he could be facing up to 50 years in prison for each charge.

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