Miscommunications, 911 Caller Shoots at Police

A series of miscommunications between a 911 caller, Dallas (Tex.) dispatchers and police officers ended with the caller firing two shots at officers who broke down his door believing that a gunshot victim was bleeding inside. Three officers were struck by bullet fragments after the round struck an officer’s assault rifle and ricocheted, but they were not seriously injured. Police arrested Steven Jones, 27, and charged him with assault. It started with a fight outside Jones’ apartment during which his cousin was shot. Jones dragged the cousin inside and dialed 911 for help. A neighbor came to Jones’ front door and knocked to make sure he was okay, and police arrived at that point and approached the door. Inside, Jones believed the knocking was by the people who had just shot his cousin, and he armed himself. Jones told the calltaker about the knocking, and the information was relayed to officer at the scene who, in turn, rightfully believed it was the neighbor knocking. Jones was afraid to open the door, and officers got no response when they knocked, so they broke down the door to rescue the gunshot victim. Jones then opened fire, but quickly surrendered when he realized it was the police. Read more about the call and incident here.