Police Incident on Beverly Drive Resolved
A police situation on Beverly Drive has been resolved and Highland Park Department of Public Safety advises residents in the area that they may resume normal activities.
Highland Park Department of Public Safety received a 911 call at 9:47 a.m. from a resident in the 3500 block of Beverly Drive saying there was a man with a gun in the house.
The resident and an employee of the house had barricaded themselves on an upstairs floor.
HPDPS informed SMU police and University Park police of the incident, as well as Highland Park ISD.
Armstrong Elementary, only two blocks away, was put on alert and the Chief of Police was stationed on campus, until police determined shortly after 11 a.m. that the situation was not a threat to public safety.
Police had two blocks on Beverly Drive cordoned off, from Hillcrest Avenue to Byron Avenue, and had advised residents in the area to take shelter until the situation was resolved.
After arriving on the scene, police advised the two individuals hiding upstairs to make their way to the third floor and to the roof, where police got them off the premises with a ladder.
Several gunshots were heard. Police entered the house just after 10:40 a.m. They found a handyman who was employed at the house deceased on the first floor. CID conducted a follow-up investigation.
The man, a longtime employee, did landscaping and gardening on the house and had known the family who lived there for years. He had access to the house and was there working when the incident happened. There were no signs of an argument or disturbance.
The family the deceased was working for had recently learned he was suffering from depression and was attempting to help him.
The medical examiner will determine the official cause of death.
