Officials have apprehended a suspect in the fatal shooting of a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, who was killed Thursday south of Dallas.
“Suspect in today’s fatal TXDPS trooper shooting in Freestone County has been captured in Waller County near Prairie View,” the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management said in a statement. “Excellent operation by numerous agencies to take this suspect into custody with no additional casualties,” the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
The trooper was not identified. Authorities have identified the suspect as Darbrett Black.
The sheriff’s office in Waller County, just west of Houston, said on Facebook two hours before the capture that the suspect was seen by a deputy and shots were fired.
The public safety department said the trooper made a traffic stop about 3:45 p.m. on Interstate-45 in Freestone County. The trooper went up to the car, talked to the suspect, and returned to his patrol car.
The trooper died in his car after the suspect fired multiple times with a rifle, the department said.
The suspect left the scene in Freestone County driving a gray Chevy Malibu with the tag number JDN4273.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted his condolences.
“Sad on Thanksgiving to lose one of our state troopers in the line of duty. Prayers for his family. Swift justice for his killer,” he wrote.
“The killer will face justice, and the State of Texas will continue to offer our unwavering support for the men and women in law enforcement who keep our communities safe,” Abbott later said in a statement.
