Police: Death toll in Plano home shooting during football viewing party reaches 9
PLANO, Texas — Nine people, including a suspect who was fatally shot by an officer, have died after a man opened fire during a gathering to watch football at a suburban Dallas home, police said yesterday.
Plano police Chief Gregory W. Rushin said one of two people hospitalized after the Sunday night shooting had died.
An officer responding to a report of shots fired at about 8 p.m. confronted the suspected shooter and opened fire, killing the suspect. Police then found the nine gunshot victims — seven were dead and two were taken to the hospital.
“The first responding officer actually heard gunshots taking place inside the residence,” police spokesman David Tilley said.
Rushin said the officer approached the house from the back and saw bodies in the backyard before confronting the suspect inside.
Police have not yet confirmed the identities of those killed or the suspect. Rushin did say that the suspect “was known by people in the residence,” adding the suspect had a “relationship with that house.”
Debbie Lane said her daughter, Meredith Lane, was among those killed in the shooting. She said her daughter owned the home and had recently divorced her husband of six years. She said her daughter, a native of Georgia, was hosting a party to watch football games.
All of those killed and injured were believed to be adults.