Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance around 6 p.m. Sunday at an apartment complex in Lancaster, a suburb of Dallas. When they arrived, gunshots rang out, prompting a shootout between suspects and police. When the flurry of bullets ended, David O'Neal Brown Jr., 27, the son of Dallas Police Chief David Brown, was dead. So was a Lancaster police officer, a 37-year-old father of two whose name has not yet been released.
"Officers responded to the apartment complex and started looking for the shooter," Kim Leach, a Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman, told The Dallas Morning News. "At the time, the suspect turned and shot one of the officers, killing him. Another officer returned fired at the suspect and shot and killed him.
First Assistant Chief Charlie Cato announced the death of Brown's son during a news conference in Dallas.
"Chief Brown is with his family this evening, and we ask that you respect his privacy at this difficult time," Cato said. "As Chief Brown mourns the loss of his son, he also mourns the loss of the fallen Lancaster police officer who has served his community with honor for many years."
It's not known yet whether Brown was involved in the shooting or was killed in the first round of gunshots.
The third person killed was identified as Jeremy Jontae McMillan, 23.
Lancaster Police Chief Keith Humphrey said the slain officer was a five-year veteran.
"We're heartbroken, and his family is devastated," Humphrey told The Associated Press. "[He was] one of the best people, one of the top officers in the department. Very caring, very giving, selfless, hard worker."
According to The Dallas Morning News, Brown Jr. was arrested in 2003 on suspicion of selling marijuana and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. In an interview with the paper earlier this year, Chief Brown said his son was making progress and that he was proud of him.
"I'm much more impressed when you make mistakes, how you respond to it," Brown said. "It speaks to the kind of man he is. He continued his education. He's gainfully employed in spite of some of the mistakes that he's made."