Off-duty officer shoots and kills man after being ambushed at hospital, Texas cops say

The Texas Rangers are investigating after an off-duty police officer shot and killed a man outside a hospital in Longview, according to law enforcement officials.

The officer, who is a member of the police department in neighboring Kilgore, was working a side job providing security at Hospitality Health ER in the evening on Nov. 27, the Kilgore Police Department said in a news release.

He was checking the parking lot around 9 p.m. when a man approached and confronted him, the release said.

The stranger pulled out a handgun, and the officer lunged toward him, police said. As they wrestled for control of the pistol, “the struggle intensified,” and the officer drew his own handgun and fired, hitting the other man, according to the release.

“Immediately following the shooting the KPD Officer summoned ER staff who attempted life-saving measures,” the release said.

Despite attempts to save the man’s life, ER staff pronounced him dead a short time later.

The officer, who was not named in the release, was not injured, police said. He has been placed on administrative leave while the Texas Rangers investigate the shooting.

Hospitality Health ER is open and operating as normal, the hospital said in a statement.

Longview is about 130 miles southeast of Dallas.

This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Off-duty officer shoots and kills man after being ambushed at hospital, Texas cops say."