"Friendly fire" may have injured the officer and bystander wounded on the Chicago-bound AMTRAK train Monday. But Dallas Police Chief Brown says police actions likely saved lives, as KERA's Bill Zeeble reports.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown says four narcotics officers followed Stephen Ray Malone, Jr. onboard the train, because he was acting suspiciously in the Union Station lobby. The Chief says Malone consented when police - who identified themselves - asked to search his female companion. But Malone rejected requests to search him, pulled a pistol from his waist, and aimed it at an officer. Chief Brown says that's when the other police pulled their weapons, fired, and killed suspect Malone.
Brown: We don't have any indication he was able to pull the trigger. but we want to wait for confirmation of ballistics tests to ensure that's accurate.
If tests confirm Malone never fired, that means Dallas Corporal Samuel Hussey, who was shot in the hand, and passenger Paul Railey, shot in the shoulder, were wounded by police gunfire. Their injuries are not serious. Brown says officers might have approached Malone in the lobby, but says that could have been worse.
Brown: The lobby was as populated as the train. This was an open area. I don't think it would have been any better circumstance confronting him in the lobby. It may have been worse circumstance, actually. You could have had a running gun battle in a lobby with many others injured. The officers, in my opinion, approached the gentleman in the best way possible.
Brown says it turned out Malone was a wanted felon, in possessions of a weapon, faced more prison time, and was not going to give himself up. Malone's actions put people at risk, says Brown, police actions saved lives.
