A Moment of Silence for our Friends in Texas: 2 More Police Officers Killed in Line of Duty

ODESSA, Texas - Two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance were killed and a third was critically wounded by a gunman who led authorities on an hours-long standoff, authorities said.

Investigators said a woman leaving the home Saturday night told the responding officers her husband had hit her. When the officers were unable to enter the house through the front door, they tried to go in the back door, where a man came out shooting at them, said Tela Mange, a Department of Public Safety spokeswoman.

The suspected gunman, Larry White, 58, went back into the house, where he held police in a four-hour standoff until he surrendered around 10 p.m., Mange said.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting deaths of Odessa Cpl. Arlie Jones, 48, and Cpl. John “Scott” Gardner, Mange said.

Cpl. Abel Marquez remained hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the face, Mange said.

White, who was shot in the abdomen and was in stable condition at a hospital under police guard, likely will face two counts of capital murder and attempted murder of an officer, Mange said. It was not immediately clear who shot White.

“This is a tragic day for Odessa,” Mayor Larry Melton said. “Our concern now is for the families of the officers.” Odessa is about 300 miles west of Austin.

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