What to know
- Jerry Don Elders, 39, was taken into custody in Gainesville after a stolen vehicle he was believed to be traveling in was spotted by a license plate reader and followed by police.
- A Joshua woman was hijacked in a car outside her home after the officer was shot. She appeared with the Joshua PD with multiple gunshot wounds and later died of her injuries.
- Burleson police officer Joshua Lott is in a stable condition with injuries that are not considered life-threatening. Lott was shot at least three times in the chest, shoulder and neck.
The man suspected of shooting Burleson police officer Joshua Lott multiple times during a traffic stop Wednesday morning and is likely involved in the death of a woman in custody in the nearby town of Joshua, Burleson police said.
Burleson police chief Billy Cordell said Wednesday afternoon that they were looking for 39-year-old Jerry Don Elders in connection with the shootings and said he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Cordell said just after 2 p.m. that shortly after the Blue Alert was issued, investigators were hit by a license plate reader in Denton County for the stolen Toyota Tacoma that they believed was driving Elsewhere.
Officers in Gainesville found the truck on Interstate 35 and tried to stop it. The truck’s occupants tried to get away on foot and hide in a wooded area, but were taken into custody, Cordell said.
“The person we think shot our officer and was likely involved in the death of a lady is now in custody,” Cordell said.
The elders will eventually be returned to Johnson County, where he is expected to be held on a $ 1 million bond for the charge related to the officer’s shooting. Elders are also being wanted on an outstanding warrant for possession of a controlled substance as a felony prior to Wednesday’s events. No other charges have been announced and it is not clear whether Elders has representation.
The officer, who was identified by the department on Wednesday afternoon, is in a stable condition with injuries not considered life-threatening, Cordell said. The chief added on Wednesday afternoon that Lott was hit in the chest, shoulder and neck, the latter being a through-and-through wound where the bullet exited the officer’s body.
NBC 5 News / Burleson Police Department Officer Joshua Lott on the left and with Police Commissioner Billy Cordell on the right.
“The officer, it is a truly remarkable story,” Cordell said of the officer’s survival. “It’s a great story. I visited him in the hospital, he’s alert, he’s in a stable condition and speaking. We’re just very grateful. It could have been a very different outcome. We are very grateful that this officer goes . to recover.”
Lott was shot early Wednesday morning after persuading a driver at around 4:15 am for an “equipment violation” along block 1100 of Southwest Hillside Drive, near the Burleson High School campus.
As Lott approached the front passenger-side door and turned toward the window, someone in the driver’s seat reached across the passenger side of the car and fired multiple shots through the window, hitting him multiple times.
He walked to the window. He got to the window and the shots came very quickly, within seconds. He had no warning, nowhere to go. We are very lucky that he is currently in a stable condition.
He was ambushed. No other way to put it. He was absolutely ambushed.
Burleson Chief of Police Billy Cordell
The group drove off, leaving the vehicle about two miles down Southeast John Jones Road. Cordell said it appeared that the group may have attempted to set the vehicle on fire or they may have encountered problems with the vehicle that led to the fire.
Cordell said police believe the trio subsequently hijacked a woman in a car outside a house at block 8000 of 802 County Road. At 8:44 AM, a woman appeared at Joshua Police Department who suffered gunshot wounds. She was taken to Huguley Hospital South in Burleson, where she later died. Her identity has not yet been confirmed by the police.
At a second press conference Wednesday afternoon, Cordell did not confirm Edlers’ connection to the woman’s death, but because he was found in her vehicle, they believe he is involved.
“ Number one, you have a person with two felony warrants who clearly doesn’t want to go back to jail, shot a police officer and then stole a car … by knocking on a woman’s door and taking her, if indeed that Turns out to be be him, we think there is definitely a connection, he was on the run in her car, “said Cordell. “We are very relieved that he is in custody.”
Cordell said earlier on Wednesday that the Tacoma believed to be driving Elders was the woman’s vehicle. Cordell said investigators are still trying to determine when the woman was shot and how she got to the Joshua Police Department’s back door.
Lott was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment by another officer. He was “clear and spoke” when he was taken to hospital, Cordell said.
Lott joined the Burleson Police Department in 2017 and was described by the chief as an “ excellent officer. ” In his short tenure with the department, Lott has been recognized several times and has won lifesaving awards in 2018 and 2020. In 2019 he received a police award for his work in recovering seven motorcycles at Burleson Power Sports.
All morning, agents from various departments in the area have invaded the lobby of the JPS hospital to show support for the injured officer. Among them was Bill Waybourn, sheriff of Tarrant County, who said he wanted to know about the officer’s family.
“You’ll see cops coming in and out here, and deputy sheriffs and cops – they’ll all show up because that’s our brother out there and we know he’s our brother in arms. sure he and his family are okay, “he said.” We as a community will certainly get through this, but it just reminds us of the daily danger our noble people see in law enforcement. “
“We appreciate all the support we receive, the outpouring of support from so many people. I can’t tell you how much that means to us and to this officer, ”said Cordell. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and we ask our community to pray for him too.”
The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into the shooting, while other agencies are providing resources and equipment to aid in the investigation.
The shooting is at least the fourth involving a Texas law enforcement officer in recent weeks. An Austin police officer was shot and injured on Friday, while a state agent was shot and injured during a manhunt for a man accused of opening fire on a cabinet company. And late last month, a state soldier was fatally shot during a traffic stop near Mexia, about 75 miles southeast of Dallas.
NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen contributed to this report.