1 officer killed, 3 wounded in standoff with Texas gunman

LEVELLAND, Texas (AP) — One officer was killed and three others were wounded Thursday when a police standoff in a small West Texas city erupted in gunfire.

The incident involved a man reported as possibly armed shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday on a residential street in Levelland, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Lubbock. The confrontation escalated quickly, gunfire erupted as the suspect barricaded himself inside a house, and a standoff ensued.

Three of the wounded officers were taken to a Lubbock hospital. An officer taken to a Levelland hospital, Sgt. Josh Bartlett of the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, died of his wounds, according to a sheriff’s office statement. Bartlett was the commander of the sheriff’s tactical unit.

Two other deputies, one from Lubbock County and one from Hockley County, were in critical condition, according to a statement from the Justices of the Peace and Constables Association of Texas. A Levelland police officer also was wounded. The identities of those three officers was not immediately released.

Media outlets at the scene reported gunfire could still be heard as of 6:15 p.m. Thursday.

Levelland is the Hockley County seat and a local oil, cotton and cattle center that is home to about 13,500 residents.

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This story has been corrected to show that the deputy died at a Levelland hospital.

The Associated Press