An officer fired during the encounter at a Dallas motel before the wanted man fatally shot himself, according to police.
DALLAS, TX — A man wanted on multiple felony warrants died from a self-inflicted gunshot Wednesday after confronting Dallas police officers during a warrant operation at a motel along South R.L. Thornton Freeway, authorities said.
Dallas police said officers were searching for the man shortly after noon on Oct. 14 because he was wanted on warrants involving narcotics and a probation violation. Officers used Flock license plate recognition technology to help locate him in the 400 block of South R.L. Thornton Freeway, near Interstate 35E. The encounter led to an officer firing toward the armed man, followed by the man shooting himself, according to the department’s preliminary account.
The incident began at about 12:21 p.m. when officers located the man at the Mustang Inn. Police said members of the department’s Crime Response Team had gone there in connection with the outstanding warrants. The man’s identity had not been publicly released as of Thursday.
Police said the man was armed when officers encountered him. Local news reports citing police officials said he appeared at the door with a long rifle. One officer fired toward the man during the confrontation. Police have not said whether the officer’s gunfire struck him.
The man remained armed after the officer fired, police said. Officers repeatedly ordered him to put down the weapon, but he did not comply, according to the department. Police said he then used a firearm to shoot himself. Reports from the scene indicated he had more than one firearm, but police have not released a full accounting of the weapons recovered.
Authorities initially released information suggesting the man had been struck by police gunfire, but later accounts left that question unresolved. Dallas police have not publicly determined whether the officer’s shot hit the man. It also remained unclear whether the man fired toward officers at any point before the fatal self-inflicted shot.
No officers were injured during the encounter, police said. Dallas Police Department commanders and investigators responded to the scene as the department began reviewing the officer’s use of force and the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
The case is being treated as an officer-involved shooting investigation because an officer discharged a firearm during the confrontation. Dallas police said the investigation remains active. The department has not released the name of the officer who fired or additional details about the outstanding warrants beyond saying they involved narcotics and a probation violation.
Police said body-worn camera video and additional information from the incident are expected to be released within 72 hours, consistent with the department’s procedures for officer-involved shootings. The footage could provide further details about the sequence of events and whether the officer’s gunfire struck the man.
As of Thursday, authorities had not released the man’s identity or announced a final determination about whether he was hit by police gunfire. The investigation into the confrontation and the officer’s discharge of a weapon remains ongoing.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.