Hours-long hostage situation unfolding in North Texas as man threatens to shoot victim, prompts Aubrey shelter-in-place order
A man claiming to have a female hostage inside a North Texas home triggered an overnight standoff, prompting a heavy police response, the release of one juvenile and a shelter-in-place order as negotiations continue.
The Aubrey Police Department said in a Facebook post it received a call around 11:30 p.m. Monday night from a home along Thoroughbred Drive near Belmont Drive in the town of Providence Village. Officers said a man called 911 and told them he had two female hostages and weapons, and that he would shoot the hostages if police approached. Police said he disconnected the call and did not answer follow-up attempts to re-establish contact.
Police then arrived on scene and saw a broken window on the side of the home and set up a perimeter. Additional attempts to make contact with the man, who remains unidentified as of publication, were unsuccessful. Aubrey Police said this led them to activate its Special Operations Response Team.
The department said a juvenile female was released from the home around 1:16 a.m. Tuesday, and that she was able to provide more information that prompted police to call for additional resources. Aubrey Police said the Denton Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics Team arrived around 6 a.m. and is helping with negotiations.
Aubrey Police noted the incident stems from a domestic relationship and that the man and victim know each other.
During a press briefing held nearly 12 hours after the initial call, Aubrey Police Chief Richard Brooks said his department has additional support from the FBI's hostage negotiation team and from McKinney SWAT. Brooks said McKinney's team was taking over for the Denton team because they were reaching capacity, leading to a personnel change.
Brooks noted that the situation is still ongoing.
Nearby residents are encouraged to shelter in place. Jackie Fuller Elementary School, which is nearby, said students who were impacted by the situation would have an excused absence on Tuesday.
Aubrey ISD confirmed to CBS News Texas that about 30-40 bus riders were not able to be brought to school on Tuesday.