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Sheriff's Deputy Shot in Head; Gunman Killed in Hood County Shootout
A sheriff's deputy is in critical condition and a police officer is in the hospital after a shooting in Granbury.
DPS Statement on Hood County Shootings
A Hood County Sheriff's Deputy suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head and a Granbury police officer suffered a non life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm after a man opened fire on police Friday in Hood County. The gunman was killed by police near the Granbury City Hall. Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Lonny Haschel provides and update to the media.
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Investigators say a Joshua man shot a Hood County sheriff's deputy before being killed in a shootout with police officers in Granbury that also injured a police officer.
Sgt. Lance McLean, a 38-year-old Hood County sheriff's deputy, was shot in the head at a Granbury home while responding to a disturbance call, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. He is in critical condition at a Fort Worth hospital.
The shooting suspect, Ricky Don McCommas, 49, of Joshua, was later killed during a shootout just 50 feet from the doors of Granbury City Hall.
Chad Davis, a Granbury police officer, was injured in the shootout.
DPS spokesman Sgt. Lonny Haschel said McLean was dispatched to a residence in Oak Trail Shores shortly before 11 a.m. When he arrived, he made contact with McCommas. Moments later, shots were fired and McLean was struck in the head, Haschel said.
Another Hood County deputy responding to the call provided a description of McCommas' van as it left the scene -- white with its windows shot out.
A neighbor told NBC 5 that McCommas lives in Joshua and drove to the house in Granbury, where he started a ruckus that led to the shooting. Deputies were then called to the scene, the neighbor said.
Granbury police officers later spotted McCommas' van as he pulled into the Granbury City Hall parking lot. It is unclear if McCommas chose to enter the parking lot or was forced there by pursuing police officers.
Haschel said McCommas then got out of the van and exchanged gunfire with Granbury officers.
McCommas was hit several times and died at the scene.
Davis sustained a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound to an upper extremity believed to be an arm or shoulder. He was transported to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit.
McLean was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment of a life-threatening gunshot wound. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said McLean is in "extremely critical condition."
"He's hooked up on a lot of machines and on a ventilator right now, so it's about as bad as it gets," he said. "It took them quite a few hours before they were able to do a CAT scan on him, [which] was how unstable he was. ... They didn't find anything good when they did the CAT scan, so we're just waiting and seeing how everything goes in the next few hours over the night."
Several witnesses who were working at a residence just 15 feet away from where the van pulled into the City Hall parking lot saw it all go down.
"He had a cold look on his face. He was going to go for them," Joe Vanderveer said. "He put it in park, looked at us, he got out. He turned and then the cop cars pulled up, because they pulled up about 15 seconds after he pulled up. And then the shooting started."
Gary Farina, who is opening a restaurant next to City Hall, a half block north of the town square, said he heard 40 to 50 shots.
"We kept hearing a barrage of gunfire," he said.
Farina and Vanderveer took cover on their outdoor patio before hiding inside the business. They said McCommas appeared to be wearing a vest, but they were unsure if it was a tactical vest or bulletproof vest.
"He definitely looked like he had a purpose in mind," Vanderveer said.
At least 50 evidence markers were placed at bullet casings and other evidence at the scene. What appeared to be an assault rifle was next to McCommas' body for several hours as the investigation continued.
"Those of you who've been to the scene saw how big a scene it is, how many details are going to have to be looked at, so it's going to take some time for everyone to go out and interview witnesses, take a look at physical evidence on the scene, send officers out and really comb those areas," Haschel said.
Haschel had no other details to offer about the shootings, saying only it was an ongoing investigation with large, multiple scenes.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and Joshua police spent hours Friday evening at McCommas' home along Joshua Boulevard. They removed several guns, boxes of bullets and what appeared to be body armor.
Neighbors said McCommas had been buying and selling guns to make ends meet since he lost his job as a security guard at Texas Health Resources Harris Methodist Hospital following a sexual assault arrest in August.
A man who identified himself as a friend of McCommas said he always carried a gun with him but was a nice man who was a good neighbor.
The case is being investigated by the Texas Rangers, the Hood County Sheriff's Office and the Granbury Police Department.
NBC 5's Chris Van Horne, Ben Russell and Kevin Cokely contributed to this report.
Editor's note: DPS originally reported the name of the gunman as 60-year-old Richard Randall McComas and then later identified the gunman as 49-year-old Ricky Don McComas.
