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Slain Richardson Officer Identified, Suspect Charged After Apartment Shooting

Richardson Police Department
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Twitter
Richardson police were responding to a disturbance Wednesday night at an apartment complex on Renner Road, near North Star Road.

This story has been updated throughout.

A Richardson police officer was fatally shot Wednesday night while responding to a disturbance call at an apartment complex. This is the first police officer death in Texas this year.   

The officer was identified as 37-year-old David Sherrard of Wylie. A second person was also killed; 30-year-old Rene Gamez lived at the apartment complex. 

Brandon McCall, 26, has been charged with capital murder of a peace officer. He's being held in the Collin County jail.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Richardson Police Chief James Spivey said the Plano Police Department will be taking over the investigation.

"We have so many officers that were involved in the incident last night that we felt like it would be better to let Plano handle this investigation for us and they've begun the investigation," he said. 

Chief Spivey also said today was the hardest day his department ever had. 

Officer Sherrard is the first to die on duty in the department's 63-year history. He worked for the police department for more than a dozen years and was the married father of two daughters. 

What happened

Police said the incident began about 7 p.m. Responding officers found the body of Gamez on a landing and then went to a nearby apartment where they encountered McCall.

McCall surrendered after being cornered in an apartment and randomly firing throughout the evening Wednesday. Witnesses said McCall repeatedly shouted "I'm sorry" as he was taken into custody hours later.

Credit Plano Police Department
Brandon McCall

Sherrard was taken to a hospital in Plano after he was shot. About three hours later, Richardson police reported that he had died. 

It's believed McCall shot Gamez but the investigation is continuing, Plano police spokesman David Tilley said.

Tilley said the suspected gunman and Gamez knew each other, but the extent of their relationship wasn't immediately clear.

Suspect's history

McCall has been arrested before, according to the Dallas Morning News:

"Last year, Dallas police took him to a medical facility for an evaluation. Details of that incident were not available.
"Also in 2017, he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled substance in Collin County and was ordered to serve two years' probation.
"Richardson police arrested him in 2016 on a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance, records show. He was placed on probation for two years, which would have ended in October 2019.
"In Garland, he was arrested in 2009 on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle and in 2010 on a drug possession charge."

Abbott offers condolences

Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences on Twitter, saying "The hearts and soul of Texas mourn with you. Your loss is a loss to all law enforcement and everyone in our great state."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.