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Update: Paramedic Shot in East Dallas, Gunman and Second Victim Found Dead

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Tony Maples Photography

 

On Monday, May 1, it was reported that a member of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department had been shot and hospitalized in East Dallas while responding to an emergency call, and the Dallas Police Department was conducting an active search for the shooter. In updates provide by local news affiliates, it has been identified that the victim in question was paramedic William An, based out of Station 19, and part of a specially trained Urban Search and Rescue Unit. An has undergone a number of surgeries at Baylor University Medical Center and the last update was that he was still in critical but stable condition. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said the paramedic will need additional surgeries and extensive medical treatment to fully recover.

Update: Paramedic Shot In East Dallas, Gunman and Second Victim Found Dead

Photo: Facebook/FOX 4 News

In the meantime, Dallas police identified yesterday in a news conference that the initial shooting, which sparked this tragedy and took place in the Dolphin Heights neighborhood, was triggered by an argument between neighbors in the 3200 block of Reynolds Avenue at approximately 11:30 a.m. According to police, the Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedic was the first to respond to the shooting call and An was a member of the team who began providing medical treatment upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, he came under fire.

Update: Paramedic Shot In East Dallas, Gunman and Second Victim Found Dead

Photo: Facebook/FOX 4 News

The gunman has been identified as Derick Lamont Brown, and he fled before hiding out in a house where authorities believe he took the life of one other person before turning the gun on himself. Investigators barricaded entrances to the community for a number of hours, allowing officers to search the neighborhood effectively before a police robot went into the home, discovering the two bodies. Dallas Police were still in the process of interviewing witnesses and neighbors late on Monday and, according to the press conference reports, were being told, “it was just a simple dispute between two neighbors that escalated into a shooting.”

Update: Paramedic Shot In East Dallas, Gunman and Second Victim Found Dead

Photo: Facebook/Brian Curtis NBC5

Responding officers had found the paramedic and the injured civilian and were under fire from the suspect as they approached the scene. One officer, later identified as Sgt. Robert Watson, arrived when the shooter was still at large, and while officers were still maintaining cover, rushed in to pull the injured paramedic to safety. Dallas Chief of Police, David Pughes, stated, “He went in alone and he pulled the paramedic out, placed him in his squad car and drove him to Baylor hospital. We believe … that as a result of those actions, that paramedic’s life was saved.”

Update: Paramedic Shot In East Dallas, Gunman and Second Victim Found Dead

Photo: Facebook/ABC News Via Tony Guitierrez/AP Photo

The neighbor, who was the victim in the initial shooting, also remains in critical condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital. In addition, a Dallas Police officer suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene and released. Over several hours Monday afternoon, police described the scene as “active and very dangerous.” In that time, officers were conducting a door-to-door search for the suspected gunman. At Monday afternoon’s press conference, Pughes stated that officers received a tip that the suspected gunman was hiding in a nearby house, after which the robot was sent in for surveillance and found two bodies, being Brown and an unidentified individual. The medical examiner has not released the name of the second victim.

Source:

NBC-DFW