On June 4, 2025, police were called to the Motel 6 at 12721 LBJ Freeway in Garland, Texas, for a disturbance between a tenant and management. Officers said the tenant pointed a gun at them, prompting them to take cover and summon the SWAT team. After hours of failed negotiations and the deployment of tear gas, a SWAT officer fired when the armed tenant confronted them at the window.
When officers entered the room, they discovered the tenant dead from the shooting and found another man already deceased inside: Donald Bailey Sr., 69, a male. Investigators said evidence indicated that Donald Bailey Sr. had died from a gunshot wound and had likely been dead for several hours before the SWAT confrontation. No officers were injured.
Authorities identified the man shot by police as 52-year-old Shawn Dylan Burt of Hutchins, Texas. Inside the room, detectives recovered a handgun. Police said the two men were not related, and a resident at the motel described explosive-sounding breaching attempts before hearing a rapid series of gunshots. The deadly encounter occurred in Room 138.
Detectives opened a homicide investigation into the death of Donald Bailey Sr., 69, a male. As of June 5, 2025, police had not announced any arrests connected to his killing. Investigators said they were still determining what, if any, connection existed between Shawn Dylan Burt and Donald Bailey Sr., and whether Burt was responsible for Bailey’s death. The Garland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division was leading the case.
Community records reflect the date and place of death for Donald Bailey Sr., 69, a male, in Garland on June 4, 2025. Local outlets first reported the standoff and the discovery in the motel room that day and the next, as police released identities and outlined the early timeline of events.
