PROMINENT DALLAS CIVIL LAWYER KILLED IN A SHOOT-OUT WITH THE POLICE



MICHAEL EDWARD SCHMIDT

All seemed well Wednesday evening when Dallas civil lawyer Michael Edward Schmidt spoke on the phone with his father, who is also his law partner.

“He was just marvelous,” C.L. Mike Schmidt said. “Couldn’t be better.”
Less than 12 hours later, C.L. Schmidt received a call from his son’s ex-wife.

Michael Schmidt, 47, was dead after starting a shootout with Dallas police officers at his Uptown apartment tower.

His 11-year-old daughter was in the hallway at the time of the shooting, but officers said they could not see her.

A dispatch recording indicates that Schmidt appeared to be “kinda high.” Authorities are awaiting toxicology results to determine what, if any, drugs he may have been taking.

Many of those who knew the younger Schmidt said they were dumbfounded by the situation. They described him as a devoted father, kind man and a hardworking lawyer.

“It’s hard to believe that somebody with as much going for him would have this event,” C.L. Schmidt said.

Police say the shootout began around 1:45 a.m. Thursday when police were called to the Glass House by Windsor building after Schmidt told an employee there that he had a break-in. The two then hid in the apartment office, according to dispatch recordings.

When officers arrived, Schmidt barricaded himself in a hallway near the high-rise’s lobby and fired several shots at them, authorities said. The officers took cover.

Police said officers tried to negotiate with Schmidt, but he continued shooting and they were forced to return fire, killing him. No officers or other residents were injured, police said.

A sergeant and the three officers involved have been placed on routine administrative leave.

Crews were replacing several shattered glass panes at the high rise Thursday afternoon. Schmidt recently began living there after he split with his wife, Wendy. They had previously lived in University Park with their four children, ranging in age from 11 to 20.

Susan McMordie, Schmidt’s former mother-in-law, said the couple grew up in the Park Cities and had been together since they were teenagers. They dated in college at Southern Methodist University and were married for more than 20 years before the divorce.

McMordie said Schmidt “couldn’t have been nicer” to her, even after the divorce. She said Schmidt “just had some problems along the way,” but declined to elaborate. She said her daughter was “very sad” and is still trying to make sense of what happened while caring for the couple’s kids.