A man who had been operating for years under aliases while impersonating a law enforcement officer and placing off-duty police in security jobs across North Texas was fatally shot by Dallas SWAT officers Wednesday night after pulling a gun on officers during a standoff at a hospital parking garage. The case has exposed significant gaps in how private security personnel are vetted, particularly after it emerged the man had served as a security guard for a sitting member of Congress.
The man, known publicly as Mike King, was killed Wednesday night after a standoff with Dallas police SWAT officers. Police say he fled into a hospital parking garage, barricaded himself inside a vehicle, and was forced out by tear gas before pulling a gun on officers. He was struck by police gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released his legal name, citing ongoing investigative procedures.
King was being tracked by the Dallas Police Department’s fugitive unit Wednesday night when he barricaded himself inside a car in the parking garage at Children’s Medical Center Dallas at around 11:40 p.m., officials said at a press conference Thursday morning.
Sources say King was wanted for impersonating a law enforcement officer and had claimed to be one while operating Off Duty Police Services, an online platform connecting North Texas officers with off-duty work. Law enforcement sources also say King drove a replica undercover police vehicle and used license plates stolen from cars outside a military recruiting office. His background, which sources say includes a criminal history, raises questions about how he managed extra-duty jobs for police officers and secured a high-level security role for a sitting member of Congress.
That member of Congress is U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas. Images obtained by CBS News Texas show King standing close to Crockett at events and on the campaign trail during her recent run for a U.S. Senate seat. Documents obtained by CBS News Texas show a person named Mike King received payments for security services from Crockett as recently as last year. Crockett’s office has declined to answer questions.
The Dallas Police Department has not provided additional comment beyond the press conference held Thursday morning. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux confirmed the fugitive task force had tracked King to the location based on an active warrant for impersonating a law enforcement officer.
