A man suspected of shooting and wounding a Dallas police officer surrendered to police Saturday afternoon following a six-hour manhunt.
The man suspected of shooting officer Joshua Burns, 20-year-old Rakeem Perkins, was brought to police headquarters Saturday afternoon by his mother, an aunt and a family friend, police said.
Perkins was taken into custody without incident and treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Early Sunday morning, he was booked into the Dallas County jail. He faces two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant. Each count carries a million dollars bond. The charges are first degree felonies.
Police said Perkins was apparently shot in the thigh during the exchange of gunfire with officers Joshua Burns and Salvador Varillas.
Officer Shot Responding to Domestic Disturbance Call
Dallas police said officers were called to a domestic disturbance at the Regal Springs Apartments at 13030 Audelia Road in North Dallas at about noon Saturday.
After officers Burns and Varillas arrived at the scene, they approached a man sitting in a parked car. Soon after, shots were fired in their direction, police said. The officers returned fire and, during the exchange, Burns was struck several times.
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Police said the man in the car, identified by witnesses as Perkins, slipped out of the passenger side of the car and ran from the apartment complex after the shooting.
Burns, a five-year veteran of the department, was conscious and stable after the shooting and was transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Varillas, a 19-year veteran of the department, was not injured in the shooting.
During a news conference Saturday afternoon, Dallas Chief of Police David Brown said Burns was in a lot pain after being shot in both the shoulder and leg. Burns was also hit in his ballistic vest.
Brown said a fellow officers had been trained on using a tourniquet and was able to stop Burns' bleeding. The officer's injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, Brown said Saturday afternoon, and the officer remains hospitalized in stable condition.
"First thing is, we’re grateful. We’re grateful that the Lord spared Officer Burns. Our hearts drop when we hear this kind of news and we hope for the best, but we’ve had to bury quite a few officers in this city," Brown said. "It messes with your psyche because, each day, our officers don’t know if they’re going to come home."
Manhunt Undertaken for Shooting Suspect
Two hours after the shooting, Dallas police and SWAT units surrounded a house on the 13000 block of Fall Manor Drive. Police believed the suspected shooter, identified as Perkins, was hiding inside the home. After more than two hours, police were able to positively determine that Perkins was not inside the residence.
With the suspected shooter's location unknown, Dallas police worked quickly to share photos, a description and a prior mug shot of the man they believe was responsible for the shooting.
While they continued their search, they warned the public that Perkins should be considered armed and dangerous and that if anyone knew his location they should call 911.
"We’re on a pretty intense manhunt right now. All of our officers are focused on capturing this suspect and bringing him to justice and we need the public’s help," said Brown.
Shortly before 6 p.m., NBC 5 learned that Perkins has surrendered and had been taken into custody.
"On behalf of the women and men of the Dallas Police Department, I would like to thank the citizens of our great city for the outpouring of support they have shown for officer Joshua Burns. I’d also like to express the department’s appreciation for the well wishes that have come in from other police departments. And our gratitude to the local media that acted quickly to tell the story of our wounded officer and post the photo of the suspect in this afternoon’s shooting," said Assistant Chief Randall Blankenbaker.
Perkins' condition is not yet known. After he is discharged from the hospital he is expected to formally charged in the shooting.
NBC 5's Christine Lee and Mark Schynder contributed to this report.
