Police officer fatally shoots 19-year-old in Texas, suspect in a vehicle theft

Police in Mesquite, Texas, say an officer investigating a stolen vehicle fatally shot a 19-year-old man who was in another vehicle

MESQUITE, Texas — Police in Mesquite, Texas, say an officer investigating a stolen vehicle fatally shot a 19-year-old man who was in another vehicle.

The officer noticed the stolen vehicle being followed by a second vehicle and stopped both at a convenience store in suburban Dallas Thursday morning, Mesquite police said in a statement.

The officer found the stolen vehicle empty at gas pumps and saw two men flee the scene as he went to the second vehicle with four people inside, police said.

The driver of the second vehicle refused to comply with the officer's command to turn and stop moving the vehicle.

“The driver continued to make stealthy movements in the vehicle and during the encounter, the officer fired three shots, striking the driver,” the police statement said.

Police identified the driver as Payton Lawrence, 19, of Mesquite.

Firearms were found in the car, police said.

The three people in the vehicle were questioned and one, a 19-year-old from Dallas, was arrested on outstanding warrants, police said. The two men seen fleeing the area remained at large.

A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment early Friday.