A man killed two people near a Texas college yesterday before police fatally shot the suspect in a gun battle that lasted half an hour, officials said.
Police identified the gunman as Thomas Caffall (35) and the bystander killed as Chris Northcliff (43) of College Station.
The dead officer was identified as Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann. Police said Mr Bachmann (41) was shot in front of the house, about two blocks from the Texas A&M campus, and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
He had been serving Mr Caffall an eviction notice at a home near Texas A&M University.
Four people also were injured, police and city officials in College Station said.
A College Station city spokesman said authorities were still investigating Mr Caffall's background. It was unclear whether he was renting the home or was being evicted for nonpayment of a mortgage, he said.
Officials said the wounded included a woman (55), who underwent surgery, and College Station police officer Justin Oehlke, who was in stable condition after being shot in the leg.
A Facebook page listed as belonging to Mr Caffall, which had a photo nearly identical to a driver's licence picture released by authorities, included photographs of rifles he had said he had acquired, including a Czech vz 58 assault rifle.
The university issued a "code maroon" shortly after noon, warning students and employees that an "active shooter" was in the area west of campus and asking them to stay away.
The College Station shooting comes less than four weeks after a man opened fire in a crowded Colorado movie theater during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 people and wounded 58 others.
On August 5th, a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin before taking his own life.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said yesterday at a Miami news conference that there should be no change to current gun laws.
"We've now had apparently . . . three of these tragedies in a row, and I happen to believe this is not a matter of the weapon that is used," Mr Romney said. "It's a matter of the individuals, the choices these people make and we have to understand those kinds of choices from being made."
Reuters