One dead, four injured in exchange of gunfire

A Lubbock County sheriff’s sergeant was fatally shot and four other law-enforcement officers were wounded Thursday afternoon in an exchange of gunfire with a barricaded man in West Texas.

The suspect, Omar Soto-Chavira, 22, was taken into custody around 11:30 p.m. Thursday at a home in Levelland, a city of 13,000 about 30 miles west of Lubbock, authorities said. He was injured and transported to a hospital in Lubbock for treatment.

Lubbock County Sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Bartlett died from his injuries at a Levelland hospital.

Also wounded was Levelland police Sgt. Shawn Wilson, who was in critical condition at a Lubbock hospital. Three other Lubbock County deputies suffered less-severe injuries and were released from the hospital.

Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe said it was difficult to describe the loss of one of his deputies, who had been with the department for nine years and led its SWAT unit.

“We will be mourning with his family, and his family throughout the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office,” Rowe said.

Rowe said Bartlett, an Army veteran, was “a true servant” and that “he loved to do the job that he did every day.”

Authorities used robots to enter the home, then deployed gas, which drew Soto-Chavira out of the residence, authorities said. He had a history of contact with police, but the motive in the shooting was unclear.

Levelland police said a resident reported about 1:10 p.m. that a neighbor on 10th Street was carrying what appeared to be a large firearm and acting strangely. When officers arrived, they realized that a pickup at the home had been reported by a state trooper earlier in the day who thought the truck’s driver was attempting to bait him into a confrontation.

Police attempted to speak with the man, whom Chief Albert Garcia described as “very hostile.” The man then went into a home and began shooting at officers, who returned fire, Garcia said.

Police called for support from the Hockley County and Lubbock County sheriff’s offices. A short time after deputies from those agencies arrived, the man opened fire again, wounding several of them.

A number of state, local and federal law-enforcement agencies had remained in Levelland into the night.

Authorities believed the barricaded man was alone in the home.

The Texas Rangers will handle the investigation.