Dallas police release video of shooting that injured 3, including officer and grandmother

DALLAS - Dallas police released body camera video of a shooting earlier this week that injured three people, including an officer and a grandmother who claims she was trying to protect her grandson while he was having a mental episode.

Body Camera Video Released

What we know:

The newly released video shows just how quickly a disturbance call on Monday night became a shootout between Dallas police officers and 18-year-old Tony Robinson. The gunfire erupts almost immediately after officers can be seen in the video kicking in a bathroom door.

Robinson and his grandmother were both shot, along with one of the officers, who was not injured thanks to his protective vest. 

What they're saying:

Chief Daniel Comeaux said his officers knew that Robinson was armed with a gun inside the apartment bathroom with his grandmother. They also knew that there were previous disturbance calls at the apartment, that Robinson had threatened family members, and that he was refusing to come out. 

But the chief said there was nothing in the 911 call from family members that indicated that Robinson was suffering a mental health crisis at the time, as his family previously told FOX 4.

"We checked the call sheet. We listened to the 911 call. We looked at even prior calls at the location and there was nothing that led us to believe that it was mental health," he said.

Although it’s still unclear who shot first, Chief Comeaux said the video does show Robinson pointing the gun at the responding officer.

"Immediately when he went into the bathroom, he was confronted with a Glock with a switch and extended magazine, and he took a round to the chest," the chief said of his officer. "If he wouldn’t have taken those actions, I grieve more lives would’ve been lost."

Dig deeper:

The video also shows Robinson’s grandmother running out of the bathroom as the shooting began. She was hit three times in the arm.

Investigators believe she was shot during the initial encounter in the bathroom and not when she ran out.

She also had an object in her hand that police identified as pepper spray. She thought she might have to use it on her grandson, police said.

What's next:

Robinson will be charged with aggravated assault of a public servant once he’s released from the hospital. He could also face additional federal charges.

Chief Comeaux noted that his handgun was modified with components that turned it into an automatic weapon, which is illegal. He had 29 rounds remaining in the magazine.

The two police officers who fired shots will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

Feb. 2 Dallas Police Shooting

The backstory:

On Monday night, Dallas officers responded to a call at Mill House Apartments on Woodhollow Drive in the city’s Red Bird neighborhood.

Police said 18-year-old Tony Robinson had threatened people with a gun and was barricaded inside a bathroom. Robinson’s grandmother was also in the bathroom when police arrived. 

Tracey Thornton said her grandson was suicidal and had been arguing with his father. Family members called the police once they realized he had a gun.

"He was just mad at the world for no reason," Thornton told FOX 4's David Sentendrey. "Earlier in the day, he just kept saying I want to die, I want to die, I don’t care if I live, I don’t care if I live."

Police said there was an exchange of gunfire, and an officer was struck in their bulletproof vest. That officer is okay.

Robinson was hit. He is still recovering from his wounds in the hospital. Thornton was also shot and treated for minor injuries. 

"I blocked him in the bathroom until the police came, and I told him he couldn’t move until the police came and got that gun because we don’t do guns in the house," Thornton continued. "When my grandson fell on the floor, I stepped over him to walk to my room and shots rang out again, and I got hit again in the crossfire."