Three Longview Officers on Paid Leave Following Shooting

LONGVIEW — Three police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning in Longview. According to KETK, officers were on the scene of a suspicious activity call in the 500 block of Mobberly Avenue around 3:42 a.m. when they encountered several men in a store parking lot. When officers approached them, 17-year-old Joshua Kennon Thomas reportedly produced what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband. One officer fired his duty weapon several times, striking the suspect.

Thomas was taken to a local hospital with what are termed non-life-threatening injuries. Police say Thomas was shot twice in the chest and once in the arm. According to police, Thomas’s gun turned out to be a Umarex SA9 CO2 powered pistol — a fake gun that resembles a semi-automatic weapon. The Texas Rangers were contacted and are investigating the shooting.