TYE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In the wake of a national tragedy much like Monday’s fatal mass shooting at a Kentucky bank, it leaves other communities like the Big Country wondering about safety in our areas. Over the Easter weekend in Tye, a similar threat was posed.

Homicide suspect, Garon Wallace Jr., 21, turned himself in Monday following the fatal shooting of 26-Year-old David Jordan outside Jaguars Gentlemen’s Club early Saturday morning. Tye Police Chief Christopher Selander said the department was able to locate Wallace by contacting his family in the Abilene area, finding that he was in Dallas County.

Tye Police Department search for Garon Wallace Jr. in connection to the shooting death of 26-year-old David Jordan

“It’s still a very active investigation. We don’t have a motive or what led up to the shooting at this time,” Chief Selander said.

Jordan suffered two shotgun blasts. One to the legs and a second to his chest. Officers on scene, in addition to a few bystanders, attempted to render aid until emergency services could arrive. He was later pronounced dead at Hendrick Medical Center North.

Chief Selander told KTAB/KRBC he was proud of the way his officers responded to this tragic and, as he put it, “chaotic” scene. Just minutes after the distress call went out to 9-1-1, Tye PD arrived at the club just before 4:00 a.m., without the surety that there wasn’t an active threat.

“You’re not thinking about your personal wellbeing, you’re just running in there,” explained Chief Selander. “You want to take care of the threat; you want to save as many people as possible.”

The responding Tye PD officers’ quick response calls to mind the fatal mass shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky bank on Monday.

“Within three minutes of being dispatched, officers arrived on scene and encountered the suspect almost immediately, still firing gunshots,” Louisville Metro Police Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said in a press conference.

A Louisville Metro Police technician photographs bullet holes in the front glass of the Old National Bank building in Louisville, Ky., Monday, April 10, 2023. A shooting at the bank killed and wounded several people police said. The suspected shooter was also dead. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
A Louisville Metro Police technician photographs bullet holes in the front glass of the Old National Bank building in Louisville, Ky., Monday, April 10, 2023. A shooting at the bank killed and wounded several people police said. The suspected shooter was also dead. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

With no time for a SWAT response, those officers took command of the scene which ultimately ended in nine injuries and five deaths, including the shooter. It’s a possibility that many small-town departments face and prepare for with little access to swift backup.

“With full-time or part-time SWAT, you’re looking at a 20-30-minute response, so when the first initial officers get there and there’s an active shooter type situation going in there, training tells you, ‘now you go in and you assess the threat, and you take out the threat,” Chief Selander detailed.

The loss of life here in the Big Country no less tragic. The situation at Jaguars over the Easter weekend was just as high of a threat, for which Chief Selander said training protocols are in place.

“It’s a whole different ball game when it’s really happening. When you’ve got bullets flying, it changes everyone’s mindset,” added Chief Selander. “I mean, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the nose. There’s no telling what could happen, but we do try to prepare for it.”

The investigation into the cause of the altercation and ensuing shots fired is still under investigation. Chief Selander told KTAB/KRBC the department is interviewing witnesses and related parties to better understand the fatal events of that night.