Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 29-year-old man towed a trailer full of explosives into a suburban Dallas police station's parking lot, then set fire to his pick-up truck and began shooting at the building, authorities said today.
Patrick Gray Sharp died after a shootout with officers, but it is unclear whether he was killed by an officer's bullet or one of his own, McKinney police Chief Doug Kowalski said.
No one else was hurt during the clash on Tuesday morning, which led a local college to lock down its campus and alert students and faculty to stay home.
Sharp may have intended to lure people from the police station so he could shoot at them from a field across the street where he had taken position, Mr Kowalski said. He also may have intended to kill them by blowing up the trailer, he said.
The fire set off ammunition in the truck but failed to ignite the trailer, which was filled with wood chips, ammonium nitrate, petrol and road flares, Mr Kowalski said.
Investigators found an assault rifle, a shotgun and a handgun on Sharp. He fired at least 100 rounds at the police station, and the chief counted at least 23 bullet strikes on the building.
Sharp was found dead after police fired an unknown number of rounds while pursuing him in a line of trees where he had taken cover and into an open field near Collin College, the chief said.
It wasn't clear how Sharp died, but Mr Kowalski said a witness indicated he might have shot himself. The chief said investigators have not determined why Sharp initiated the attack in the suburb of roughly 127,000 people north of Dallas.
His room-mate, Eric McClellan said there was nothing about Sharp that would lead him to believe he would try to attack police.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments