Who is Hollis A. Daniels, the Texas Tech freshman arrested for shooting a police officer dead?

He was taken into custody after causing a campus lockdown


Hollis A. Daniels, a freshman student, has been arrested for last night's Texas Tech shooting.

Cops say they initially took him into custody after they found "drugs and drug paraphernalia" in his dorm room during a student welfare check. Once inside the police station, Daniels pulled a gun and fired at an officer, killing him. He fled on foot, causing a campus-wide lockdown, and was caught later near the university stadium.

It is unclear how he was able to get hold of a firearm in the station.

As the lockdown has been lifted and details begin to trickle through about Daniels, a clearer picture has emerged of the suspect.

According to his Facebook page, the 19-year-old from Seguin, Texas, was studying Communication Arts. Daniels, whose full name is James Alvin Hollis Daniels, has two arrest reports from the last two years.

Hollis A. Daniels

Hollis A. Daniels

The mugshot above is dated 09/23/2016 – it shows him in custody by campus police for possessing less than two ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in a campus parking lot.

The one below is dated 06/08/2017 and is related to a speeding charge.

Pictures on his Facebook profile show him hanging out with his dad and with friends. One dated from May 2016 shows him tagged in a photo with shorter hair, in a tuxedo and smoking a cigar.

As recently as June, his Instagram shows him hanging out with friends and family. He is seen below celebrating Father's Day with his dad, far right, and enjoying parties with friends from high school and college.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVgjZXhDau1
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJY_Nongp8F
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJnpNunghs1

Friends of Daniels contacted by The Tab expressed immense surprise on being told the news. Alycia Harkey, who was friends with him at Seguin High School, told us: "We were friends through theatre class, we were backstage. He was cool, he had a good sense of humor. He always lit up the room. I thought he was a good guy. It's weird, I can't picture him in this situation. I don't know what else to say other than he was a pretty cool guy and he made everyone laugh."

After SWAT teams searched through campus, Daniels was found and arrested late this evening. He was pictured by local news outlets being taken into custody.

"The family of the deceased officer will be in the prayers of the entire Texas Tech community," said Lawrence Schovanec, TTU President. "In the coming days, we will be offering full support to that family. I want to express my appreciation to the Texas Tech Police Department, the Lubbock Police, the Sheriff's Office and other local state and federal agencies that have assisted in this tragic event."

More to follow.