June 26--FORT WORTH -- A 34-year-old North Dakota man who had threatened to have a shootout with police was shot and killed early Tuesday after firing at an officer outside an east Fort Worth hotel, police said.
The incident began shortly after 4 a.m. when Derek Ternes took a laptop from a resident's room at the Hotel Trinity, 2000 Beach St., police said.
The resident, who had been outside when the laptop was taken, confronted Ternes in the parking lot. He was shot and remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon.
After that shooting, the hotel manager called police, said Sgt. Pedro Criado, a police spokesman.
A police sergeant arrived and found Ternes walking west in the parking lot. The officer ordered him to drop the gun but he refused, Criado said.
An officer who arrived shortly after the sergeant also ordered Ternes to drop his gun.
"The suspect turned his attention and his gun toward the officer and starts shooting at the officer," Criado said. "The officer returned fire, obviously hitting the suspect."
Ternes was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was not wounded, Criado said.
The resident, who met Ternes about two weeks ago, was living at the hotel with his two sons, 11 and 13. They, along with his girlfriend, saw Ternes take the laptop but were not involved in the altercation, police said.
Police said a law-enforcement alert connected with Ternes' license plate indicates that he had threatened to enter into a shootout with police.
Several hotel guests said they were surprised that the gunshots did not awaken them.
James Henry said he woke up in his room about 6 a.m. and didn't realize the police were there until he left for breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
"I saw police tape and, as I was walking over to the lobby, you could see the body covered up with a sheet," he said.
A man and woman pulling their car out of the hotel parking lot said their room was directly behind the one where the incident started and they didn't wake up either.
But after seeing police officers and the covered body, they decided to leave.
"We're getting the hell out," the man said, driving away.
Criado said the officer involved in the shooting has been with the department for four years.
The major case unit is investigating, he said.
Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655; Twitter: @deannaboyd
Copyright 2012 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
