North Texas Police Detective Fatally Shot Answering Call Of Armed Man

A North Texas police detective died Tuesday after being shot while answering a report of an armed man outside a house in a suburban Dallas neighborhood.

The officer was identified as Little Elm Detective Jerry Walker, 47.

Authorities say the episode unfolded about 3 p.m. when Little Elm police were told a man was seen outside a house, armed with a rifle or shotgun. Denton County sheriff’s Lt. Orlando Hinojosa said officers arrived to find an armed man screaming at them from a backyard.

As the officers withdrew, the man ducked into the house and opened fire from a window, hitting Walker in the neck. He later died from his injuries.

A father of four, Detective Walker was one of several officers who tried to talk with the man as he went inside the home, CBS Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

“We are praying for the police officer and his family,” said Little Elm Fire Chief Brian Roach.

Roach later said the suspect was found dead in the house after a six-hour standoff. Roach didn’t identify the suspect or give a cause of death.

Little Elm is about 30 miles north of Dallas.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.