Three hours into the standoff police told Cox his wife and baby were safe and in an area away from harm.
“You just get scared,” he said, his gaze steadily on the police cars in the distance. “All I want to do is be with my wife and baby. I won’t be happy until I am with them.”
At about noon on Tuesday, police were investigating the theft of a car from Jays Shop, 916 S. 57th St. Their search for a suspect led them to a trailer at the Derby Trailer park in the 3400 block of West Nugent.
“When they got consent to search the trailer, before they could set up a perimeter, the suspect fled to a different trailer,” said Sgt. Brad Hunt, Temple Police Department Public information officer.
He was believed to be armed, witnesses told police.
Five patrol officers were involved initially, then the SWAT team was called out.
Korak the police dog was called in and tracked the suspect to the trailer.
The close proximity to Kennedy-Powell Elementary School put the school in lockdown for about 1½ hours as a safety precaution, so that no children would be outside and no one could get in or out of the building, Hunt said.
“Children were later released to their parents on the south side of the school,” he said. “The only children it affected were those that walked to and from school.”
Streets in the area were closed off while the standoff was in progress.
Police negotiators were called in to attempt to talk the man out of the trailer. They spoke to the suspect via a public address system.
Although police believed the suspect was armed with a handgun they treated the situation as if he had a long-range gun. Trailers and nearby homes were evacuated as an added precaution, Hunt said.
At about 4:30 p.m. police broke windows and doors in the trailer where the suspect was holed up to throw gas and chemical devices into the house to cause the man discomfort. It was hoped he would leave on his own. When that failed the SWAT team converged on the house and found him hiding inside.
He was complaining of breathing problems so he was taken to Scott & White Memorial Hospital, under guard.
Police did not release the name of the suspect who was to be taken to Bell County jail after his release from the hospital. It was unknown what the charges would be, Hunt said.
