3 children shot as Oklahoma police open fire on alleged robbery suspect
The shooting took place as officers opened fire on a car.
Three children were injured as police in Oklahoma opened fire on a robbery suspect Friday evening. The suspect was also shot in the incident.
William Devaughn Smith, 21, was located in Hugo, near the Texas-Oklahoma border, where police attempted to take the man into custody, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Smith is suspected of robbing a Pizza Hut in Hugo on April 11.
While attempting to "make contact" with Smith, police officers opened fire and shot him, as well as three children, the OSBI said in a statement. Smith and four children were in a vehicle when the detectives from the Hugo Police Department opened fire, Brook Arbeitman, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, told The Associated Press.
Three of the four children were shot, police said. They were rushed to the hospital, where their injuries were described as non-life threatening.
The injured children are ages 1, 4 and 5.
Smith, who was also struck by gunfire, was taken to the hospital, treated and released into the custody of the Paris, Texas, Police Department. Paris is located just across the border from Hugo.
At this time, the suspect is being held on charges related to the robbery from earlier this month. It is unclear if additional charges will be filed.
In the robbery, Smith allegedly entered the pizza shop's back door and pressed an object against an employee's back before making off with an unknown amount of money, police said.
The suspect's wife was also in the car, but uninjured, police said. It is unclear if those injured were the suspect's children.
ABC News' Matt Foster contributed to this report.