A Fannin County Deputy narrowly survived a targeted ambush on Thursday in which a suspect, later identified as 35-year old Cory Goode, fired approximately 14 rounds directed with the intent to kill before later being found deceased.
According to reports, at approximately 03:35 p.m., Fannin County Dispatch received third party information of a disturbance at a residence in the 500 block of County Road 5012 in southern part of Fannin County.
The caller requested a law enforcement response and multiple deputies were dispatched to that location.
“The first arriving deputy was met with instant gunfire before he was able to exit his vehicle,” said Sheriff Cody Shook. “The suspect opened fire from a concealed location with a scoped rifle in a clear intentional act to commit a murder.”
Shook said approximately 14 rounds were fired at the deputy as he escaped from his vehicle and took cover.
“When the suspect lost track of the deputy the suspect left his concealed location and committed suicide with a single gunshot from his own weapon. No shots were fired by the Fannin County deputy as he escaped the barrage of gunfire that met him. This was an orchestrated, planned and intentional ambush with the clear intent to kill.”
The suspect was identified as Cory Goode, a 35-year-old, who police say has an extensive criminal history, including violent crimes and drugs. This individual’s background and motives are still being investigated.
The deputy’s vehicle, in and around the driver’s seat, was struck by numerous rifle rounds and Shook said he survived by his “rapid split-second reaction, his extensive tactical training and by the grace of God.”
“While I won’t be releasing the deputy’s name at this time, he is a veteran member of the Sheriff’s Office, a veteran of the United States Military and a member of our Special Response Team. He is highly trained, equipped and handled himself with courage under fire. Despite being in a highly traumatic event he still controlled the scene, began checking on civilians in the area to ensure everyone else was safe and conducted himself with the utmost professionalism for the situation. His concern and care for the public above himself was truly admirable. We are incredibly grateful that he is still with us today. He did sustain injuries from shrapnel and the vehicle windows shattering around him but was not directly struck with any rounds. He was treated at a local hospital and released.”
He continued, “We send our thoughts and prayers to the family of Goode; we know they are in a difficult position as they deal with this tragedy and would ask that you respect their privacy. We support our deputy completely and pray for his continued recovery through this event. This highlights the need for advanced training and quality equipment for our staff to protect themselves and the public. As Sheriff I am incredibly grateful for the outpouring of public support from our community. Thank you to everyone that has reached out. While it’s too many to list, I do want to thank all of the many law enforcement agencies that responded and offered assistance, especially our local police departments within Fannin County as well as the surrounding Sheriff’s Offices and DPS.”
At this time the Texas Rangers have the remainder of the investigation.
