Full Notification

SHOOTING INVESTIGATION PRESS RELEASE

On 4/22/2019 at approximately 11:16 PM Officers with the Red Oak Police Department responded to a call of a man being shot in the Wal-Mart Parking Lot located at 100 Ryan Drive, Red Oak, Ellis County Texas.

Preliminary investigations with the victim who had been shot and witnesses revealed that a verbal altercation took place outside of the main doors between a white male subject and another white male with his family that was exiting the store. It is still undetermined at this point, what the content of the argument was. It was possible that he was having a verbal altercation with store employees as well.

This altercation progressed into the parking lot where both parties entered separate vehicles. As the male with his family attempted to leave the parking lot to the south, the male who had started the verbal altercation chased them down in his vehicle at a high rate of speed. He caught up to them and ultimately exited his vehicle where he confronted the subject by hitting the driver’s side window and yelling profanities and threats that he would fight and then kill him. The subject then opened the driver’s side door of the other man’s vehicle. The male driver who was with his family then produced a handgun and fired several rounds in the direction of the male that was threatening him. The male was struck several times in the pelvic region and in the hand. The driver with his family then fled the scene.

It was determined by watching surveillance video, that the subject that had been shot was also a theft suspect at the Wal-Mart. The male had just committed several thefts of merchandise and store employees were trying to detain him as he exited the store prior to the verbal altercation with store employees, the man, and his family as they exited the store.

The victim/suspect who was shot is identified as Max Pryor, a Male White 08/02/1985 and is known to this agency for similar thefts. Mr. Pryor was provided immediate first aid by the officers on scene and was later transported to Methodist Central via ground ambulance in stable but serious condition.

While working and processing the scene the male subject who had fired the rounds returned to the scene with his family and is currently cooperating with the investigation. He is currently not being identified as this is an ongoing investigation and still in its very early stages of investigation.

Date: 4/23/2019
Issued by: The Red Oak Police Department
Authorized by: Chief Garland Wolf