Suspect shot Dallas ISD police officer with officer's gun after scuffle: affidavit

An arrest affidavit states the suspect in an officer-involved shooting last week shot a Dallas ISD police officer with the officer's weapon after he was willingly removed from a highway in Far North Dallas. [Fox 4 Dallas]

A Dallas Independent School District police officer remains hospitalized after being shot during an encounter with a man he had assisted on a North Dallas roadway.

The incident occurred around mid-morning Aug. 6 when Officer Justin Jones, a 16-year veteran assigned to White High School, responded to a report of a person walking along the median of LBJ Freeway near Midway Road. Jones found Jose Pantoja-Morales on the highway and offered assistance, transporting him by police vehicle to a nearby retail area that bordered both a Walmart and Sam's Club location.

Once at the shopping center, tensions escalated when Jones observed Pantoja-Morales removing items from the officer's work bag while still seated in the patrol vehicle. When Jones attempted to retrieve the items and remove Pantoja-Morales from the backseat, the man resisted. The confrontation quickly turned physical as both men fell to the ground during the struggle. During the altercation, Pantoja-Morales gained control of Jones' weapon and discharged it once, striking the officer in the leg and rupturing his femoral artery.

Pantoja-Morales fled on foot immediately following the shooting but was apprehended shortly thereafter in the 400 block of High Summit Drive after a brief pursuit. During questioning, he admitted to taking Jones' gun and firing the shot to facilitate his escape.

Jones received emergency care at the scene, including a tourniquet, before undergoing surgery at a local trauma facility. Dallas ISD Police Chief Albert Martinez praised the medical team's response and noted Jones' commitment to community service despite his injuries.

Pantoja-Morales faces a felony charge of aggravated assault on a public servant. He is being held on a $500,000 bond and has an immigration hold placed against him. As of the latest reports, hospital status updates regarding Jones' condition had not been publicly disclosed.