7 Police Officers Shot While Responding to 'Suicide in Progress' Call in Texas, Authorities Say

Multiple San Antonio Police Department officers were taken to the hospital with 'non-life-threatening' injuries after the Jan. 22 shooting

7 Police Officers Shot While Responding to 'Suicide in Progress' Call in Texas, Authorities Say

Seven police officers responding to "a suicide in progress" call have been shot in Texas, authorities have confirmed.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the San Antonio Police Department was called to the 18700 block of Stone Oak Parkway. A male suspect in his 40s then shot the first officer who arrived on the scene, before going on to shoot six more officers, according to an update shared by police on Facebook.

"Officers were initially responding to a suicide in progress. The first officer arrived after a family member called police," authorities said.

According to local media outlet WOAI, the shootings started just before 9 p.m. local time.

Moab Replublic/Shutterstock A photo of a San Antonio Police Department car

Moab Replublic/Shutterstock

A photo of a San Antonio Police Department car

The officers who were shot were transported to the hospital with "non-life threatening injuries," according to police, who added that the officers affected had "4-8 years on [the] department."

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While later giving reporters an update on the situation, SAPD Chief William P. McManus said in a video shared on Facebook that "the first officer arrived, was shot, and six others subsequent to that were shot as well."

Getty A stock photo of police tape

Getty

A stock photo of police tape

"SWAT arrived on the scene, the suspect barricaded himself inside the apartment for several hours," McManus said.

"At the end of the event the suspect was found to be deceased, we don't know if he was shot by a self-inflicted wound or whether or not he was shot by squad officers," he added.

KENS 5 Officers are pictured at the scene of the shooting in San Antonio, Texas

KENS 5

Officers are pictured at the scene of the shooting in San Antonio, Texas

McManus confirmed the suspect, who has not been named, had three arrests on Jan. 18 and was facing charges of two counts of assault and one count of driving while intoxicated, adding that he "was out on bond at the time."

The police chief said in a previous Facebook video that those in the apartment complex that could be safely moved amid the incident were evacuated.

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While speaking to CBS-affiliated local station KENS 5, complex resident Joseph Loredo said, "I just heard a loud pop; it was like a single pop. I didn't think much of it and my mom is living with me so she told me to come outside the balcony because she heard a lot of noise."

"Sure enough, when we go outside the balcony, we hear a bunch of helicopters. And then literally 20 seconds after we were out there, we heard more shots. It was like two or three shots. I told my mom, 'Hey mom, those are gunshots,' " Loredo added.

The SAPD did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

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