Officers in Longview Shooting Identified

LONGVIEW — Three Longview police officers, on administrative leave following a shooting, have been identified. They are are Dustin Ashworth, John Delgado, and Armando Juarezortega. Officer Delgado has been identified as the one who fired his gun, wounding Joshua Kennon Thomas, 17. Thomas was said to have been hit several times. He is hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries.

The officers were on the scene of a suspicious activity call in the 500 block of Mobberly Avenue just before 3:45 Tuesday morning when they encountered several men in a store parking lot. When officers approached them, Thomas reportedly produced what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband. It was then when officer Delgado fired his duty weapon.

According to police, Thomas’s gun, which is pictured here, 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. The police department is conducting its own internal investigation into whether department policies and procedures were followed in this case.