DeSoto police shoot, kill suspect holding a child who threatened to shoot officers
DESOTO — A DeSoto police officer fatally shot an armed man Sunday morning who was reportedly holding a small child, threatening to shoot any officer who approached him.
Police were called to the 1100 block of Greenbriar Dr. just after 4 a.m. where the suspect, a Hispanic male who was carrying a small child, and two women were reported to be randomly knocking on doors and trespassing through residential front and back yards.
When officers arrived, they found the suspect armed with a handgun holding a child, DeSoto Police said, who threatened to shoot any police officer he encountered.
Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, according to the DeSoto Police Department, but the two women and the suspect holding a child ran to a creek behind the homes where police lost sight of them temporarily.
DeSoto PD said officers formed a perimeter and found the group about 30 minutes later in the 1200 block of Springbrook Drive.
The officers continued to talk to the suspect and tried to get him to drop his weapon and let the child go; however, he did not cooperate.
Fearing for their and the child's safety, one officer armed with a rifle shot the suspect, DeSoto PD said. The suspect died at the scene.
Police are still working to identify the suspect. The two women with him were taken in for questioning but were "not successful in helping the police identify" him, DeSoto Police said. The child was turned over to family members.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave per departmental policy. The investigation is ongoing.