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Arlington, TX – Police have released dashcam and bodycam video from an incident that ended with both an officer and the suspect shot on Jan. 11 (video below).
Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson told the Star-Telegram that he believed it was clear who fired first in the shootout that occurred between officers and Tre’Shun Miller.
The shootings occurred at about 10 p.m. after an officer stopped a black Toyota Corolla for failure to use a turn signal.
Prior to stopping the Toyota, Chief Johnson said the officer checked the license plate on the vehicle and discovered that it had been involved in a drug case back in November of 2018, the Star-Telegram reported.
It turned out that the driver, Jessica Lawson, and her front-seat passenger, Miller, were both out on bond related to that case.
When the officer initially approached the car, he smelled marijuana. So he called for backup and waited until other officers arrived, the Star-Telegram reported.
In the meantime, he instructed the people in the Toyota not to use their cell phones to make telephone calls.
A combination of dashcam and bodycam videos showed what happened after two more police officer arrived on the scene.
When his backup arrived, the officer took Lawson out of the car, and walked her over to the female officer to be searched, the video showed.
Then the other male officer on the scene told 20-year-old Miller to get out of the car.
Almost as soon as he was outside the vehicle and standing, Miller spun around and took off, the video showed.
Bodycam video showed the officer pursued him, and the original officer on the scene also gave chase.
Seconds into the foot pursuit, gun shots were heard and the police officer let out a horrible sound as he was struck and fell to the pavement.
He can be seen falling to the ground in the bodycam video of the officer who was behind him.
Without pausing, the second officer drew his weapon and continued to pursue Miller and return fire.
“During the foot pursuit, the suspect produced a handgun and fired at the back-up officer striking him,” Arlington police said in a statement. “The backup officer fell to the ground after being struck. The other male officer discharged his firearm striking the suspect.”
The wounded officer, a 17-year veteran of the police department, was shot in the pelvis, the Star- Telegram reported.
He was transported to Medical City Arlington for treatment, and was expected to recover, according to KTVT.
Miller was taken to Arlington Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, KTVT reported.
The female officer had stayed at the vehicle with Lawson and the other two suspects, according to the Star-Telegram.
Those three were ultimately released and were cooperating with the investigation.
Chief Johnson said there were two investigations happening – an administrative inquiry to determine if the officers acted appropriately and a criminal investigation of all involved in the shooting, the Star-Telegram reported.
The chief reminded reporters that the driver and her passenger were out on bond when the incident occurred, and expressed frustration with the court system which helps “to contribute to a perpetual revolving door of interactions for police officers and these individuals who may be on a downward spiral or worse.”
“For the police officer on the street, that’s incredibly frustrating,” he said.
Watch how the incident unfolded in the video below. NOTE: Bodycam video starts after dashcam. WARNING – Graphic Content: