Woman killed in shootout with Farmers Branch police

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - A Farmers Branch police officer's bulletproof vest likely saved his life after he was shot in the chest during a Tuesday night traffic stop.

What started off as a seemingly routine traffic stop along Valley View and Josey Lane in Farmers Branch around 11:30 p.m. ended with a woman shot dead and an officer saved by his body armor.

According to Farmers Branch police, the officer stopped a red Hyundai Elantra and pulled it over into a nearby parking lot. Investigators say the male driver was cooperative. The officer asked the passenger, later identified as Brooke Camacho, 38, to get out of the car. Moments later, she pulled a gun and shot the officer in the chest, striking his vest.

“You never know what you’re going to see or what's going to happen in any given traffic stop,” said Farmers Branch Officer Kris Garrett.

The officer returned fire, killing Camacho. According to public records, she has an extensive criminal history from three different states, including arrests for drug possession, forgery and assault.

Records from a Dallas arrest in 2010 show Camacho was caught with meth and paraphernalia on her. Once again, she was a passenger in a car. In this case, the car was stolen.

Two people who live nearby describe what they heard.

“It was like 10 shots probably or more,” recalled Ricardo Garcia. “Sounded first like 4 or 5 or 6 and then someone responded to that.”

“I was like, ‘Wow, that sounded like gunfire,’” recalled Danny Lurye. “And it wasn't two minutes later I heard sirens and everything.”

The man driving the Elantra went to the Farmers Branch Police Department and gave a voluntary statement to investigators. He was released and is not facing charges at this time.

Police haven't said what kind of gun Camacho used, how she got it or how many times she fired.

The officer involved in the shooting has not been identified. He has been with the department for about two years. He suffered some bruising from the shooting but is expected to be fine.

He’ll be placed on administrative leave during the course of the investigation, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.