Dallas,TX

BY BILL MILLER
wmiller@star-telegram.com

Police are awaiting an autopsy to determine whether a Dallas man died Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or from a shot fired by a SWAT officer who saw the man fatally shoot his 3-year-old son.

An autopsy will be performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, said Sgt. Jamie Matthews, police spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, the medical examiner has released the name of the man and his son; they are Leon Ovalla, 43, and 3-year-old Leon Ovalla, Jr.

Police said Ovalla shot his son twice as SWAT officers stormed the family’s apartment at a complex in the 5800 block of Martel Avenue in northeast Dallas, Matthews said.

A member of the SWAT team then shot Ovalla, who went down, but Ovalla also managed to fire a round into himself, Matthews said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, Matthews said, but it was unclear if he died by his own hand or from the police bullet. Officers expect the autopsy will settle that issue, she added.

The child was taken to Baylor Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Matthews said.

“It’s devastating for an officer to see the suspect fire upon a child,” Matthews said. “Officers have to react to that, in that instant.”

The incident began about 1:45 a.m. when police were called to a domestic disturbance at the apartment complex, which is a few blocks southeast of the intersection of East Mockingbird Lane and Greenville Avenue.

A woman left the apartment with a 2-year-old child and told police that her husband was inside with their 3-year-old son, Matthews said.

The man refused to come out, so the SWAT team was summoned and negotiations ensued.

But after about five hours, officers concluded that the negotiations had failed, Matthews said.

She declined to say what the man had said or done, but officers decided to enter the apartment at about 7 a.m., Matthews said.

That’s when a SWAT officer saw the man shoot his son twice, so the officer opened fire, Matthews said. The child was not caught in a crossfire, she added.

The officer will be placed on routine administrative leave during an internal investigation of the incident, Matthews said.
Bill Miller, 817-390-7684