carlballou/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA and MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News
(AUSTIN, Texas) — Three officers were shot and a man was in a standoff with police following a 911 call about a domestic disturbance in a suburb of Austin, Texas, authorities said.
Three people related to the suspect were being held hostage inside the house in Cedar Park hours after the shooting, Mike Harmon, interim police chief for the Cedar Park Police Department, said at a press briefing Sunday night.
The incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. local time, officials said. A man in his mid-20s had kicked down the door of his mother’s home and was “acting very aggressive,” Harmon said.
Responding officers were met with gunfire inside the house, he said. They returned gunfire, and it is unknown if the suspect was hit, Harmon said.
Following the shooting, the suspect barricaded himself inside the home with three family members, including his mother and a juvenile, officials said. The age of the third family member was unknown at the time of the press briefing.
Negotiators were in talks with the suspect to “bring this to a peaceful resolution,” Harmon said.
“We do have a message for the suspect inside, and please take this to heart,” the police chief said. “We want to end this peacefully for everybody involved. For the suspect inside, for the hostages that are inside, for the officers that are on the scene, for everybody.”
“So please, if you’re listening to this, please come out and surrender yourself peacefully so we can resolve this situation tonight,” he added.
The Cedar Park Police Department has responded to the residence in the past, according to Harmon. The suspect has “some mental health issues,” he said, but did not elaborate beyond that.
The three unidentified officers who were shot were rushed to an area hospital in stable condition while the suspect remained barricaded inside the house, the Cedar Park Police tweeted earlier Sunday evening. They had non-life-threatening injuries and were in stable condition, Harmon said.
Residents of the town were urged to stay indoors as the suspect remained inside the house.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shared his condolences for the injured officers.
“Our hearts are with the police officers who were injured while protecting the Cedar Park community this afternoon,” he said in a statement.
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