A veteran Plano police officer shot and killed a woman Thursday morning after she reportedly stabbed him and another driver while he was trying to help them after a traffic accident.
The officer and victim sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Police said the officer, who has been with the department for more than 30 years, drove up on the two-car crash shortly after it happened before 7 a.m. at Legacy Drive and Independence Parkway.
While he was investigating the accident, one of the involved parties retrieved a knife from her vehicle, walked to the other car and began stabbing the other driver, according to a statement released by police.
As the officer intervened, the suspect turned and began attacking him with the knife, ultimately striking him in the arm, police said. The suspect then ran around the front of the vehicle as the officer circled around the back of the car.
As the suspect began to enter the victim’s vehicle on the passenger side door, the officer fired his service firearm at the suspect to stop her attack, according to the statement. The suspect was struck multiple times, police said.
The officer, victim, and suspect were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The suspect did not survive her injuries.
The account of events was confirmed by body-worn camera footage and multiple independent witnesses to the incident, Plano Police Department spokesman David Tilley said.
As of Thursday evening, investigators were still working on identifying the suspect. It was later determined that the vehicle the suspect was driving was stolen from another jurisdiction.
The other driver and the officer are recovering from their stab wounds. Their names are not being released at this time.
Tilley said the actions of the officer saved the life of the other victim.
“Anytime an officer is injured, especially under felonious circumstances, it affects each of us,” he wrote in an email to Local Profile. “Although none of us want to be put in a position to take a life, unfortunately it sometimes becomes necessary to save innocent victims. This officer is well respected by all and we are thankful he was not injured more than he was.”
The incident is being investigated by the Plano Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit and the Collin County District Attorney’s Office.
As is protocol, the officer has been placed on administrative leave with pay while the investigation continues.
