By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-942598.mp3
Dallas, TX – The Arlington Police Officer killed in the line of duty last night was shot while trying to protect an 11 year old girl from a gunman. KERA's BJ Austin reports.
24 year old Officer Jillian Smith was at an apartment in southeast Arlington to take a report about an assault that happened earlier in the day. The Police Department's Tiara Richard says moments after the Officer's arrival, the "ex-boyfriend" came back.
Richard: Inside the apartment at the time was the officer, with the victim Kimberly Carter, and also an 11 year old child. When the suspect back to the apartment, he entered, displayed a weapon and began to fire at the officer.
Richard says that's when Officer Jillian Smith moved toward the girl to protect her from 38 year old Barnes Nettles - the gunman. She says after the officer went down, Nettles apparently went to the bedroom where he killed 29 year old Kimberly Carter; then returned the living room where he shot and killed himself. Richard says the 11 year old managed to escape to a neighbor's apartment.
Smith graduated in 2009 from UTA with a degree in criminology and joined the Arlington Police force in February this year. She was released from rookie "field training" just two weeks ago.
Arlington Police Chief Bowman says Officer Smith followed all the rules when she answered the "report" call.
Bowman: Procedures were followed. This is a low priority call: priority 3 out of a 1-2-3 prioritization system. We would expect one officer to handle a report call of this nature.
Jillian Smith is the second Arlington Police officer to die in the line of duty this year, and the 8th in the history of the department. Chief Bowman says Smith's family told him Jillian died living her dream - to be a police officer.
Kimberly Carter's 11 year old daughter is now with relatives.