Sunday afternoon, Lubbock Police held a press conference regarding a negligent discharge made by one of their officers in the field during a search for an armed suspect. This is the third investigation into a negligent discharge by an LPD officer in the past three weeks. While no one was injured during this discharge, Lubbock Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the weapon being fired. LPD explained that negligent discharges should not be happening, especially not in a public setting, and they are taking this incident very seriously.
“In this situation it’s something that should not happen, we will be taking reactive and proactive steps to see what has happened and find out what we can do to correct this, this needs to stop,” said Jon Caspell, Assistant Chief for Lubbock Police.
Caspell is acting as police chief temporarily. He spoke with EverythingLubbock.com Sunday. He explained that Lubbock Police got a call at around 10 a.m. Sunday in reference to a domestic disturbance on the 5400 block of 79th Street.
Police were advised that a male was there causing problems and was reported to be intoxicated. LPD was also informed that the young man had told people on scene that he was armed with a gun and that he had threatened to kill everyone there. People on scene told officers they hadn’t seen a gun but they had seen ammunition, which raised police concerns.
Police were also informed that the suspect had previously assaulted family members that day and that other family members had to pepper spray him to try and control him before officers arrived.
When officers arrived on scene and spotted the suspect, he ran into the neighborhood, Caspell explained.
Officers had every reason to believe he was armed based on his statements and actions, so the officers chased the suspect.
They lost the suspect in the neighborhood so a perimeter was set up to find him. Officers searched from house to house for the suspect. Police believed he was a danger to the family and to the neighborhood.
Police found the suspect, D’Morea Robison, 19, after an hour-long search at the 5500 block of 78th Street. He was in the backyard of a residence. Just after 11:15 a.m., Lubbock Police received a call of shots fired by LPD officers. At that time, the suspect was also taken into custody.
Caspell explained that the initial investigation shows that police saw the suspect in the backyard of this residence and had reasonable suspicion that the suspect was armed.
One of the officers was in the front of the residence and sought to enter the backyard through a side gate because a tall privacy fence prohibited him from easily climbing into the backyard.
While he was gaining access through the gate, he had his firearm drawn and it discharged. The bullet went into the fence at a downward angle. Police said there was one shot, and no injuries were reported. Caspell added that it appears the bullet came to rest in the ground.
“Immediately Lubbock Police commanders on scene initiated a call out for an officer involved shooting, even though it appeared on its face that it was a negligent discharge” Caspell said. “This is a situation where it’s out in public where an officer has fired a round out, we take this very seriously.”
This shooting comes after two separate incidents of negligent discharge by LPD officers. The first occurred on September 28 and the second occurred on October 9. Both of these incidents, happened in a training setting at the department’s firing range.
Police say Sunday’s incident is a “very different” situation than those previous discharge incidents, because this firing didn’t happen in a training environment.
Caspell called the apparent negligent discharge Sunday an “incredible red flag,” in light of the previous two discharges. It’s a sentiment LPD Chief Greg Stevens expressed last week as well at the press conference addressing the previous two gun fire incidents:
“I don’t want us to have any negligent discharges. They’re avoidable, they are 100% avoidable,” Stevens said on October 10.
Robison was arrested and booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on charges of domestic assault, criminal trespassing, evading on foot and terroristic threat.
Caspell said the officer whose weapon discharged is being investigated, though he has not been placed on leave.
There are now two investigations underway, the criminal investigation into the suspect and the administrative investigation into the officer’s actions. Neighbors in the area reported seeing Lubbock Police searching through alleys and trash cans well into the afternoon Sunday.
“It feels scary because you don’t know if that person could be in you yard, in your shed in your trash can, anywhere, in your house, or your neighbor could be in danger,” explained 12-year-old Gage Davidson who lives several homes down from where the suspect was found.