It all started as a typical Monday night in the neighborhood, but it quickly turned into a life-altering 42 seconds that nobody saw coming. Around 9:30 p.m., the quiet of 18th Street was shattered when Lubbock police rolled up to a call about a domestic disturbance. What happened next was a blur of motion and high-stakes decisions that left a young man fighting for his life and a community looking for answers.
When the officer arrived near Avenue U, he spotted 22-year-old Taylor Floyd-Sutton walking alongside a woman. The situation didn’t stay calm for long. As soon as the officer stepped out of his cruiser to see what was going on, Floyd-Sutton took off like a shot. He didn’t just run; he scrambled over a fence and tried his best to lose the officer in the dark, weaving through nearby yards and heading into an open lot.
The officer wasn’t about to let him go that easy. He stayed right on his heels, calling out over and over for Floyd-Sutton to show his hands. It’s that heart-pounding moment every cop dreams they never have to face. In the middle of that empty lot, with adrenaline pumping and shadows stretching everywhere, things went from a foot race to a deadly standoff in the blink of an eye.
According to Police Chief Seth Herman, that’s when Floyd-Sutton pulled out a semi-automatic handgun. The chief says the young man pointed the weapon right at the officer. Faced with a split-second choice to protect his own life, the officer pulled his service weapon and fired. Just like that, the chase was over, and the gravity of the situation hit everyone involved.
Even though shots were fired, the officers didn’t hesitate to switch gears. They rushed to Floyd-Sutton’s side and started giving him first aid immediately, trying to keep him stable until the paramedics could get there. It’s a heavy scene to imagine—the flashing lights, the sirens in the distance, and the desperate scramble to save the person they were just chasing.
Floyd-Sutton was rushed over to University Medical Center. As of the latest word from the department, he’s still in critical condition. Back at the scene, investigators found a handgun lying in the dirt that didn’t belong to the police. Now, Floyd-Sutton is facing a serious charge of Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant, a weight that will follow him long after he leaves the hospital.
The officer involved has been on the force for about two years. Following the usual protocol, he’s been put on administrative leave while the higher-ups look into every single detail of those 42 seconds. It’s a standard move, but it highlights just how quickly a routine call in Lubbock can turn into a headline-making tragedy for everyone involved.
