Thomas Simpson (WFAA/YouTube).
A man from Texas is recovering after being shot in the leg by police officers who mistakenly came to his home in response to a call, according to authorities.
Grand Prairie police were dispatched to a residence on the 3000 block of Holly Drive around 1:45 a.m. Friday for a disturbance report, the agency reported to local media. However, the caller’s cell phone relayed the wrong address, leading dispatchers to send officers to a nearby home. It was there that Thomas Simpson and his family were asleep.
Police say they knocked on Simpson’s door for five minutes without a response. Subsequently, they saw Simpson emerge from his garage in what they described as an “aggressive stance,” then he allegedly pointed a gun at the officers, prompting them to open fire, hitting Simpson.
Simpson shared his perspective in an interview with Dallas Fox affiliate KDFW. He recounted to the TV station that he believed intruders were attempting to break into his home.
“What I saw was the garage door open. I observed two pairs of legs. So I raised my pistol, ready to fire, thinking they were criminals,” Simpson explained. “I didn’t discharge my weapon. Once the door opened, I spotted their badges. I dropped the gun, got shot in the leg. I fell to the ground, and Grand Prairie PD fired roughly eight more rounds after I was already on the ground.”
Simpson was the sole person struck by the gunfire. He reported that one bullet hit a pipe, causing it to burst. He also claimed that the police never identified themselves.
“Obviously, I’m not gonna raise my gun to a cop, but I didn’t know,” Simpson said.
The homeowner said he was upset, particularly about the fact that his teenage kids were handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser for four hours following the incident.
“They saw their daddy gets shot. We’re gonna talk to lawyers and go after everybody responsible for it,” Simpson told KDFW. “They need to pay. They need to learn there are consequences to their actions.”
But Simpson said he’s most thankful that everyone in his home survived.
“All of us are extremely lucky nobody got killed,” he told local ABC affiliate WFAA.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office will consider if criminal charges against Simpson are appropriate.
