A man who died during a confrontation with Dallas SWAT police officers worked in security for Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and was also posing as a police officer, according to multiple reports.
The man, known as Mike King, reportedly ran a company, Off Duty Police Services, that “placed officers in off-duty jobs,” sources told CBS News Texas. King was also said to be “wanted for impersonating a law enforcement officer.”
King was killed after running into a parking lot on Wednesday and pointing “a gun” at police after they “forced” him out of a vehicle through the use of tear gas, according to the outlet:
King was killed Wednesday night after a confrontation with Dallas Police SWAT officers. Police say he fled to a hospital parking lot, barricaded himself inside a vehicle and was forced out with tear gas before pointing a gun at officers.
Sources say he was wanted for impersonating a police officer and had claimed to be one while operating Off Duty Police Services, an online platform that connects North Texas officers with off-duty work. Authorities have not revealed his real name.
King has also been seen, in footage obtained by the outlet, “near Crockett at an event and on the campaign trail” when he recently ran for the U.S. Senate in Texas against James Talarico, the now Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate race in Texas.
Law enforcement officers from the “fugitive task force” had been “surveilling” King and followed him to the parking lot of Children’s Medical Center, said Daniel Comeaux, police chief of the Dallas Police Department, WFAA News reported.
Several police officers told the outlet that King’s company “was posting jobs” through an online platform that police officers use “to sign up for off-duty security jobs”:
Sources also said the man claimed to have high-profile clients, including banks, hotels and political figures.
Dallas police officers told WFAA that the company was posting jobs through RollKall, a platform commonly used by police officers to sign up for off-duty security jobs. According to sources, some Dallas officers unknowingly worked security duties believing the company was legitimate.
“Our officers are definitely very concerned because they want to make sure that when they provide their information, it is protected,” Sean Pease, who serves as president of the Dallas Police Association, told the outlet.
