MESQUITE, Texas – Police in Mesquite said Tuesday that a man suspected of breaking into a pickup truck, and was then shot by an officer after a confrontation last Wednesday, is actually the owner of the vehicle.
Lyndo Jones was still charged with one count of evading arrest, said Lt. Brian Parrish with the Mesquite Police Department, but those charges were dropped Tuesday evening. The lawyer for Jones stated that the Dallas County District Attorney’s office rejected the charge.
“He was detained because we had received information that there was a burglary in progress and, regardless of who owns the vehicle, regardless of what the actual situation is, if an officer receives a call that there is a burglary in process and arrives at the scene and finds what he deems to be a suspect, it is just simply a prudent matter to take that person into custody and further investigate and find out if the person is up to no good, and if they are, then we move forward with an investigation,” said Parrish.
Jones addressed the media Tuesday night outside of the hospital where he is being treated. He would not address specifics of what transpired last Wednesday. “I don’t why somebody would do that,” said Jones. “Why? I didn’t do nothing to you or did anything. Why? That’s what I want to know.”
Jones added that his doctors and nurses have taken good care of him in the hospital. “I’m feeling good, thankful that I am alive, living and breathing, and get to go home and see my little girls.”
The incident started at about 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, when police were called to the 1300 block of South Town East Boulevard for somebody setting off a car alarm.
When an officer arrived at the scene, he located Jones sitting inside of a pickup truck as the vehicle’s security alarm was sounding. The officer confronted the suspect and things then escalated quickly. That scuffle led to the officer firing his weapon and striking the man.
However, officials said that Jones continued to fight with officers even after he was wounded and placed into handcuffs. Police said that he demonstrated such physical strength that it took three officers just to hold him down until paramedics could arrive at the scene to assess his injuries.
“The situation was that Mr. Jones didn’t give the officer ample opportunity to start an investigation,” said Parrish.
Jones underwent surgery for his gunshot wound and has been released from Baylor Medical Center, but is still recovering. He was not armed at the time of the incident. The officer who shot Jones has been identified as Derick L. Wiley, a 10-year veteran of the Mesquite Police Department. Wiley is now on administrative leave.