Deputy Shoots & Kills Azle Stabbing Suspect
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AZLE (CBSDFW.COM) - Authorities in Azle are investigating after a sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who was said to have attacked his own family members. The incident happened Monday just before midnight in the 100 block of Lamp Lighter Court.
The deputy was already nearby when the 911 call was received, and was the first official at the scene. He arrived to find two adults -- a man and a woman -- stabbed in the front yard. The victims said the suspect, Kamal Dajani, was armed and still inside the house. Another woman could be heard screaming from the home.
"He was met by two people bleeding and crying for help, so there was no time to wait for backup at that point," Tarrant County Sheriff's Office spokesman Terry Grisham said.
When the deputy went into the home, authorities said the suspect was holding a third injured person at knifepoint.
"He went in and found the third victim still with the assailant in an active aggressive situation," Grisham added, "where he had to take action."
Dajani allegedly did not follow the deputy's orders to drop the weapon. That is when the deputy fired one shot, striking and killing the suspect.
Witnesses say they heard the officer tell Dajani, 26, to drop the weapon. "I think that he [officer] did what he had to do, because as a homeowner I was nervous," neighbor Blake Patterson said. "I knew the kid well enough to know, if I went in there I would have had to do the same thing. That's why I didn't go in there."
The victims -- two women and one man -- were taken to JPS Hospital and Harris Methodist Hospital. One of them was in critical condition and had to be transported by helicopter. They were identified by neighbors as Kim Dajani, mother of the suspect; Samer Dajani, the suspect's brother; and Carolyn Elliott, grandmother of the suspect.
The suspect's father is currently in Dubai.
Investigators are still piecing together what happened to spur such a violent attack. Authorities recovered two weapons from the home, described as cutting tools or knives.
Neighbors described the suspect as "mentally ill" and said that he was always behaving strangely. They say Dajani would often pace in the streets and yell. At least one person in the neighborhood had called Adult Protective Services.
"We will know a lot more when the victims can talk," Grisham stated. "Tell us what went on in that house, what set this individual off to go as violent as he did. But, not knowing more than we do and the investigation in such an early stage right now, we are really proud of our deputy."