CARROLLTON (WBAP/KLIF)- A Carrollton police officer is on paid administrative leave after shooting and killing a man who reportedly raised a fake gun at police.
Jolene DeVito with the Carrollton Police Department said it initially started after police responded to a 911 call reporting a man passed out in his car at a local RaceTrac gas station, with a gun on his lap. “All we knew was that he was unresponsive…we called paramedics to stage nearby in the event he needed medical attention…we just didn’t know what was going on,” she said. She said out of an abundance of caution, officers initially attempted to make contact with the man using a squad car public address system, but he remained unresponsive. “After repeated audible attempts to wake him were unsuccessful, a group of officers protected by a ballistic shield approached the vehicle to check on his condition,” she said. As officers attempted to open the car door to secure the weapon, the man woke up. Officers instructed the man to put his hands up and exit the car. “After initially complying, the man suddenly reached down, picked up, and raised the gun. That’s when the officer shot his gun,” she said. Immediate emergency medical attention was provided by the officers on scene and by Carrollton Fire Rescue. 33-year-old Christopher Massey of Allen was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Officers later determined the gun to be a replica. “The people who called 911 believed it to be real and officers believed it to be real,” DeVito said. The officer who fired has four and a half years experience with The Carrollton Police Department and came to CPD with prior law enforcement experience. He is on routine paid administrative leave. An internal investigation is underway.
At the Carrollton Police Department’s request, the FBI Evidence Response Team and the Frisco Police Department Crime Scene Unit responded to assist in processing the scene. The incident was recorded on body camera video. The video and case will be forwarded to the Denton County
District Attorney’s Office for review.
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