Police release video of third Dallas officer-involved shooting this year

DALLAS - The Dallas Police Department gave an update and shared video of a deadly officer-involved shooting that happened over the weekend.

The suspect in the case reportedly charged at officers with a box cutter and reached for an officer’s service weapon. He can be heard in body camera video asking the officers to shoot him.

Dallas Officer-Involved Shooting

What's new:

Dallas police identified the suspect as 22-year-old James Thomas. He had no prior criminal history.

The backstory:

The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at an apartment complex in the 5100 block of Lemmon Avenue. Officers were responding to reports of a man threatening to harm himself with a weapon.

Police initially said officers knocked on the apartment door. The man opened it while holding a box cutter and then immediately slammed it in the officers’ faces.

The officers overheard the man shouting, "Put the taser away. I don’t want to f***ing stab myself. I want to get shot." He also yelled at another person inside the unit, saying, "This is your fault," according to police.

The suspect then reopened the door and "aggressively charged at officers" while reaching for an officer's service weapon. Police fired at the man, striking him in the upper torso. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

No officers were injured in the confrontation. The two officers who fired shots were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure during an investigation.