Texas Tech Student Shoots Police Officer Dead In Lubbock, Suspect In Custody

UPDATE: 11:01 p.m. EDT — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted after the incident saying he and his wife were praying for the safety of those on campus. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also issued a statement, offering his condolences to the deceased, and said he had “mobilized the Texas Department of Public Safety to offer any assistance to the Lubbock Police Department.”

UPDATE: 10:55 p.m. EDT — The Texas Tech University shooting suspect was captured and taken into police custody on the east side of Jones AT&T Stadium, which is an outdoor athletic stadium on the varsity campus.

Original Story

A Texas Tech University police officer was shot dead Monday night allegedly by a student in Lubbock, Texas, while he was brought in for a welfare check at the university's police department, according to a statement released by Chris Cook, the managing director of communications for the varsity.

The suspect has been identified as Hollis A. Daniels, 19, and is now in police custody. The suspect was said to have fled on foot earlier and the campus was placed on lockdown, while people were asked to take shelter. The lockdown was lifted after the suspect was taken into custody.

"A shooting has been reported at TTU Police Department. Shooter is at large. The campus is on lockdown. Take shelter," the university had tweeted earlier.

The shooting was said to have occurred around 8 p.m. EDT on Monday near the Texas Tech University Police headquarters at 413 Flint Ave. in Lubbock, NBC affiliate KCBD reported. The building is situated on the North Side of the Tech University campus near the intersection of Highway 82 and 4th Street.

Campus police said they were making a student welfare check and when they entered the suspect's room, they found drugs and drug paraphernalia. The suspect was then brought to the police headquarters for questioning. He then pulled out a gun and shot one of the officers in the head, Cook said.

The shooting suspect is said to belong to a prominent family of theater owners in Seguin, Texas. He is a communications arts student at the university, according to a Heavy.com report. His father is a former city councilman.

Videos on social media showed Daniels being taken into custody.

According to the online arrest records, Daniels was arrested by Texas Tech campus police in September 2016 over drug possession. However, it was not clear how the case was resolved. He is also believed to have been involved in a traffic offence earlier this year.

According to Heavy.com, Daniels' Facebook page is said to be active in a different name. It said that he was the co-manager at The Palace Theatre and "Studies Communication Arts – Radio, TV, Mass Media Studies at Texas Tech University." His page claims he went to Seguin High School and New Braunfels Christian Academy.

The shooting on Monday night caused panic throughout the campus. Terrified parents and other students took to social media to express concern over the active shooter situation.