Dallas police say officers exchanged fire with armed 18-year-old; grandmother injured during bathroom encounter

Dallas Police Department leaders on Feb. 2 provided a factual update on an officer-involved shooting in the 4300 block of Woodhollow Drive that left an 18-year-old man and his grandmother wounded and prompted a departmental and criminal investigation.

Chief Daniel Como said officers responded at about 8:41 p.m. after a 911 call reporting an armed disturbance and a caller saying the suspect, identified in the briefing as 18-year-old Tony Robinson, refused to put a weapon away and threatened to shoot family members. Officers arrived within minutes and were directed to a bathroom where Robinson had locked himself with his grandmother, according to Como.

"They saved lives," Como said when asked whether the officers' actions were justified. He described a chaotic scene in which family members were screaming that Robinson "has a gun," and said officers forced the bathroom door open after believing someone inside may have been endangered.

Como said an exchange of gunfire followed when Robinson confronted officers while armed and pointed a handgun at them. One officer was struck in the chest but his ballistic vest stopped the round and he was not injured. "Officer McCullough returned fire striking Robinson," Como said. The department said officers immediately rendered first aid to both Robinson and his grandmother until Dallas Fire and Rescue arrived.

Como said the grandmother was transported to a nearby hospital, treated and released; Robinson was taken to another hospital, underwent surgery and remains hospitalized. A search warrant was obtained for the apartment, the crime-scene unit processed the scene, and body-worn camera footage was collected. Como said the Dallas County attorney's office and police oversight responded to the scene in accordance with department policy.

A warrant has been obtained for Robinson for aggravated assault on a public servant, Como said; he will be booked into jail upon release from the hospital and additional charges may be considered as the investigation continues.

Deputy Chief William Griffin and others described preliminary findings from slowed review of Officer McCullough's body-worn camera. "Looking at everything, at this preliminary, we do not believe that [the grandmother] was shot while coming out of the restroom," Griffin said, adding they believe the evidence shows she was injured while still in the bathroom.

Griffin described the firearm as a Glock in .40 caliber with an extended magazine and said 29 rounds remained in the weapon when it was recovered. He said the weapon appears to have a "Glock switch" that can convert the handgun to fire automatically, and that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) currently has the weapon for forensic analysis of functionality and ownership.

On the question of whether officers had reason to use force, Como emphasized the 911 call, witness statements and what officers confronted when they opened the door. "The gun was pointed dead at the officer, and he had to take actions," Como said, adding he believed more lives would have been lost had officers delayed entry.

When asked whether there were any mental-health indicators on the call or in prior records, Como said department records and the 911 call contained no information indicating a mental-health emergency; he said detectives are still reviewing prior calls to the location. Griffin told reporters Robinson has two previous class C family-violence arrests involving an uncle, which detectives are examining as part of the ongoing investigation.

Como also said all officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, a standard step following an officer-involved shooting, and that return-to-duty decisions will be made after the investigation.

Reporters asked whether any concern exists about a rookie officer who fired during the incident. Como said the encounter was "very fast" and "very fluid," that the rookie's rounds did not strike other officers, and that investigators will examine actions by all officers involved.

The department said investigators will review all circumstances, including whether any mental-health factors contributed, and that additional charges or investigative findings are pending completion of forensic work and detective interviews. Body-worn camera footage and forensic testing by the ATF were cited as central evidentiary steps that will inform potential criminal and administrative outcomes.

The department concluded the briefing by showing body-worn camera footage to the assembled reporters and responding to additional questions; Como turned the briefing over briefly to Deputy Chief Jose Garcia to provide Spanish-language remarks during the session.