Dallas police released multiple videos Tuesday afternoon of an investigation into a fatal shooting between officers and a wanted suspect.
Shortly after midnight Sunday morning, undercover officers with the Dallas Police Department reported seeing a stolen silver Cadillac SUV with paper tags near Burns Ridge Road and El Capitan, and uniformed police officers Officials were called for a traffic stop.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Tuesday that officers tried to pull over the same SUV two days earlier, on Sept. 22, but that time it had a different paper tag. At this time, the driver refused to pull over and the officer did not pursue him.
When a uniformed officer approached the driver, who was walking on the sidewalk, early Sunday morning, the driver ordered him to stop and show his hands, and instead pulled a gun from a shoulder holster, police said. Garcia identified the man Tuesday afternoon as 55-year-old Michael Shirley.
Garcia said Dallas police officer Vera fired shots at Shirley and returned fire as Shirley ran back to the SUV. Garcia said Vera and Shirley continued to fire shots in each other's direction, and the undercover officer also opened fire before Shirley got into the SUV and sped away.
After driving through an apartment complex, Shirley lost control of the SUV and flipped onto a curb, Garcia said.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said footage from dashcams, body cameras and a drone showed the chase and deadly gunfight with the wanted suspect.
Two officers who witnessed the crash, Pease and Reniger, approached the vehicle wearing heavy vests and carrying rifles. Police said Shirley fired at the officers, who returned fire and were injured.
Garcia said he flew a drone over the crashed SUV and found Shirley on the ground next to a patch of grass, holding a gun. Officers approached with shields and took Shirley into custody. Officers administered first aid until Dallas Fire Rescue arrived, but Shirley died at the scene.
Dallas police used a drone to locate a woman who was in the SUV that crashed, but was unharmed in the overturn. Garcia told police he got into the car of his own free will, but as he drove around Shirley, he pulled her into the second row and handcuffed her to her seatbelt, police said.
Garcia said no officers were injured in the shooting, but one police vehicle suffered damage, including bullet holes in the driver's side window and fender.
Garcia said Shirley has a violent and extensive criminal history, including child molestation, illegal possession of a weapon, discharging a firearm, theft, and active warrants for failure to provide identification, prohibited weapons, and failure to comply with the law. He also had a warrant. Sex offender registration requirements. Garcia said the SUV was stolen during an aggravated robbery in Garland.
He emphasized the courage of the officers who returned to their cars and pursued the man who was about to kill them.
“This is definitely not the outcome we wanted, and yet I stand before you and talk about the dangers our members face to protect this city. There is no such thing as a routine call. It should have been a stop, but instead it's a traffic stop.'' A violent criminal, a looter, chose to fire on my brave men and women not once, but twice,'' Garcia said. .
The shooting is the 10th police shooting involving a Dallas police officer in 2023 and the eighth in which an officer has been the target of gunfire this year.
