1 Police Officer Killed And 2 Injured After Active Shooter Incident In Texas

File photo of an FBI crime scene. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

One police officer was killed and two others were left injured following an active shooter situation in San Marcos, Texas, on the evening of April 18, officials confirmed.

The incident occurred at Twin Lake Villas Apartments at 2917 Hunter Road at 6:05 p.m. when a suspect began firing a rifle at officers responding to an domestic disturbance call, the San Marcos Police Department said in a statement, describing the incident as an “ambush” on officers.

The alleged shooter is now dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while the two surviving officers were transported to Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle where they have undergone surgery. The names of the officers involved were not released and their condition was not immediately known.

San Marcos Police Department said the area on Hunter Road from Reimer Avenue to McCarty Road was shut down to investigate the incident and warned residents around the area that there was a need to “shelter in place and the public needs to avoid the area as the scene has not been made safe.”

However a later update said the area has since been secured and there is no additional threat to the public, although members of the public were still being urged to avoid the area as the investigation continues.

“We are heartbroken to make this announcement,” said Interim Police Chief Bob Klett. ”We ask for your support for our fellow officers and their families as we try to cope with yet another tragic event in our San Marcos Police family.” The San Marcos Police Department will hold a press conference on April 19 regarding the incident.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that the violence “is a somber reminder of the service and sacrifice our brave men and women in law enforcement make everyday to keep us safe.”

“I am grateful for the swift action of the San Marcos Police Department in containing the threat and minimizing the loss of life. I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the officer killed and for those injured, and for the continued safety of all law enforcement officers who protect our communities,” he added, referring to his wife, Cecilia Abbot.

This is the second line of duty death for the San Marcos Police Department since Officer Kenneth Copeland was shot twice and killed while serving a warrant at a San Marcos residence on December 4, 2017.

Stewart Mettz was indicted by a grand jury for “intentionally or knowingly” killing Copeland. In addition to the capital murder indictment, he was also indicted on the charge of injury to an elderly person and retaliation, the original charges he was facing when officers arrived at his home.

According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top US states with the highest rates of gun-related deaths are Wyoming, New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.