Armed man killed by DeSoto police in front of a child threatened officers, police say

A DeSoto police officer fatally shot a man who threatened to shoot officers early Sunday morning in front of a child, according to the police department.

DeSoto police said they were called to the 1100 block of Greenbriar Drive at about 4 a.m. after an armed man, who was carrying a small child and was traveling with two women, was knocking on the doors to homes and trespassing through front and backyards.

Raeshaan Tanner said her husband answered the door when the group came to their house just before 4 a.m.

"Nothing good is going on that time of the morning," she said.

Tanner said the man and two women were wearing backpacks, and the child appeared under a year old.

"They said that they needed help, a ride or an Uber, and that was it; they were thirsty. We gave them some bottled water," said Tanner.

Tanner said they seemed "frantic" or "out of sorts" and called police after her husband ensured the group left their property.

When officers arrived and made contact with the man, police said he was holding a gun and threatened to shoot any officer he encountered.

Officers tried to talk to the man and de-escalate the situation, but, according to police, the group fled into a creek behind the homes.

Police said after about 30 minutes, officers encountered the group in the 1200 block of Springbrook Drive and continued to try to get the man to drop his gun and let the small child go, but he was "uncooperative."

Police said, fearing for their safety and the child's safety, one officer armed with a rifle fired at the suspect and hit him. Police did not offer any further details on what the man did that led to the officer's decision to fire.

"It's hard to believe this happened here," said longtime resident Jerry Hall, who lives in the neighborhood where the man was shot.

The man, later identified by the medical examiner as 34-year-old Jesses Martinez, was pronounced dead at the scene by DeSoto medical personnel.

The two women were taken in for questioning, but police said they did not help identify Martinez. The child was turned over to family members.

Police offered no information on the relationship between the man, the two women, and the child.

DeSoto police said Tuesday that Martinez was wanted on multiple warrants, including aggravated kidnapping for ransom, and was a known violent offender with a criminal history of assaulting law enforcement officers.

The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave per departmental policy.

To ensure an objective investigation into the officer-involved shooting, DeSoto police said the Grand Prairie Police Department is the outside agency investigating, and the Public Integrity Unit of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office was also notified and responded to the scene.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier, NBC 5 reported that the man was holding a child at the time of the shooting. Since that report, DeSoto police tell NBC 5 that the man was holding a child at the beginning of the incident, but was not holding a child at the time that he was shot.