Police Shooting At Atwoods

On Friday night, March 8, at approximately 8:50, a Paris Police Officer responded to the Atwoods Store at 2445 N. Main Street to investigate a report of a suspicious male who had been in a dressing room for over 30 minutes. He would not respond to store employees preparing to close the store for the evening. The Officer eventually persuaded Antonio Sessions, 44, of Greenville, to exit the dressing room. As the Officer attempted to detain Sessions for further investigation, he broke away and ran toward the store’s main exit. The Officer pursued Sessions and temporarily subdued him. Sessions resisted arrest and, during a physical struggle with the Officer, gained possession of the Officer’s taser. Sessions then ran a short distance inside the store before turning and pointing the taser at the Officer, placing the Officer in immediate danger of being incapacitated.

The Officer fired his duty weapon, hitting Sessions in the chest. Officers and Lamar County Deputies then administered lifesaving first aid until medical EMTs arrived. Sessions was subsequently transported to Paris Regional Medical Center by Ambulance, where he later expired. Sessions, a convicted felon, was wanted out of Rockwall County for Assault on a Public Servant, Resisting Arrest, and Drug charges. They contacted the Texas Rangers, who will assume responsibility for the post-shooting investigation.

By Paris Police Department policy, the Officer involved has been placed on administrative paid leave pending an internal administrative review of this incident. Per the Texas Open Records Act, the police department will not release additional information until the Texas Rangers’ investigation is complete through the Lamar County District Attorney’s Office.