US: 1 officer killed, 3 wounded in standoff with Texas gunman

One officer was killed and three others wounded when a police standoff in a small West Texas city erupted in gunfire.The incident involved a man reported as possibly armed shortly after 1 pm on Thursday on a residential street in Levelland, about 50 kilometers west of Lubbock.

One officer was killed and three others wounded when a police standoff in a small West Texas city erupted in gunfire.

The incident involved a man reported as possibly armed shortly after 1 pm on Thursday on a residential street in Levelland, about 50 kilometers west of Lubbock. The confrontation escalated quickly, gunfire erupted as the suspect barricaded himself inside a house, and a standoff ensued.

Three of the wounded officers were taken to a Lubbock hospital. An officer taken to a Levelland hospital, Sgt. Josh Bartlett of the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, died of his wounds, according to a sheriff's office statement. Bartlett was the commander of the sheriff's tactical unit.

Two other deputies, one from Lubbock County and one from Hockley County, were in a critical condition, according to a statement from the Justices of the Peace and Constables Association of Texas. A Levelland Police officer was also wounded. The identities of the three officers were not immediately released.

Media outlets at the scene reported gunfire could still be heard as of 6.15 pm on Thursday.

Levelland is the Hockley County seat and a local oil, cotton and cattle centre that is home to about 13,500 residents.

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