Not long after Noon on Monday, a gunman fired on police officers close to Texas A&M University. The gunman killed two people, one of which was a local constable, and wounded four other people. The gunman died from gunshot wounds after being shot by police and taken into custody. The constable was identified as Brian Bachmann, who was shot after walking towards the gunman’s home, located on Fidelity Street. The house is just two blocks from the campus. Also killed was Chris Northcliff, a 43-year-old who was outside the house when the shooting took place.
Thomas Caffall was identified as the gunman. One witness said that Caffall started firing on the constable with an assault rifle before being shot by police officers and taken into custody. One of the wounded victims was a 55-year-old woman who was listed in serious condition following surgery. Three police officers from College Station were wounded; Officer Justin Oehlke, Officer Brad Smith and Officer Phil Dorsett.
Bachmann went to the home of Caffall to serve an eviction notice. Police are still investigating whether or not Caffall was aiming at the victims or if they were shot in the crossfire with police. Rigo Cisneros, a neighbor from across the street, saw the whole thing.
“After the fourth or fifth shot, I stuck my head out the door and could hear actual gunfire,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. “I took cover and observed that there was an officer down.”
Police said that the gunfire between Caffall and the police lasted for 30 minutes. Caffall was shot in the upper torso and the legs multiple times. Constables work as law enforcement officers in Texas. Their job duties are similar to those of police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Around 12:30 p.m., the school issued warnings on its website, urging residents close to the football stadium to remain inside. Barbara Murphy lives close to Fidelity Street and she said she heard roughly eight gunshots and then another round fifteen minutes later.
“We’re doing a lot of remodeling around here, but then I realized it couldn’t just be a hammer,” she said. “About that time, a neighbor called and said, ‘Don’t go outside.’ ”
The neighborhood has been described by residents as very quiet and void of violence.
“If I had been anywhere else, I would have thought it was a gunshot,” said James Densey. Densey was remodeling a home close to the shooting. “But in this neighborhood, I assumed it was just kids out playing with some late firecrackers.”