GREENVILLE, Texas — A Greenville police officer died after he was shot multiple times and returned fire, hitting a suspect, the Greenville Police Department confirmed.
Officer Cooper Dawson, 27, died Tuesday after he was shot while pursuing a suspect, the department said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Around 7:40 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 in the 3500 block of Pickett Street, police say Dawson initiated a traffic stop after a suspect with "multiple felony warrants" was seen getting into a vehicle.
Police Chief Chris Smith said Tuesday's news conference that the suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Christian Robert Sparger, fled on foot, Dawson and his partner pursued Sparger, and he shot Dawson multiple times.
Dawson returned fire and injured Sparger, Smith said.
Smith said despite being wounded, Dawson applied his own tourniquet and walked responding officers through treatment.
"That is the epitome of what a heroic police officer is," Smith said of Dawson.
Watch the press conference from officials here:
Both the officer and the suspect were taken to Hunt County Regional Hospital, according to the Greenville Police Department. Officer Dawson was later airlifted to Medical City Plano, where he succumbed to his injuries around 4:30 a.m., the department said Tuesday morning.
"We're hurting. We're hurting as a department. We are hurting as a community," Chief Smith said. "Officer Dawson dedicated his life to serving others. He made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his community. Today we honor him as a hero, a husband, a father, and a friend. The grief we feel is indescribable."
Chief Smith said Sparger was last described in critical condition. According to Greenville PD, Sparger was wanted on four warrants out of Denton County. Three of those warrants were for probation violations — two for aggravated assault and one for continuous family violence. One of the warrants was a parole violation for an assault charge.
Sparger was arraigned Wednesday on four charges including Capital Murder. He's being held on a $5 million bond.
Dawson leaves behind a wife and three children and previously served in the National Guard.
Before joining the Greenville Police Department, Dawson served with the Garland Police Department for seven years, the release stated.
"Cooper was very passionate. He was very passionate about being a police officer, he was very passionate about training. He liked the camaraderie," Smith said. "When he was passionate about something, he was all in...We lost a good man today."
Dawson's death marks the first line of duty death for the Greenville Police Department in over 100 years, the release said.
"The grief we feel is indescribable. Dawson came in under my command. This one hits really hard," Chief Smith said.
According to Greenville PD, funeral arrangements are being made for Officer Dawson. His funeral is planned for Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall.
"We have received such outpour of support from across the state, from across the community. We'll get through, but it's gonna hurt," Chief Smith said.
Greenville PD also said the community can drop off monetary donations at their dispatch facility located at 3000 Lee Street or mail checks to P.O. Box 1049, Greenville, TX 75403 Attn. Gwen Peterson. You can make a check payable to the Greenville Police Department and on the memo line, please write Cooper Dawson.
The Texas Department of Public Safety's Texas Rangers will investigate the shooting.
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