SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Work crews were busy putting in a new door at the Southaven home after police say someone kicked it in while an off-duty officer and his children were inside.
“You could see the legs of the bodies sticking out. First I was scared because I thought it was Brian and he is a nice guy,” said Fred Share, who lives nearby.
MPD Officer Brian Falatko opened fire on the intruder, then snatched up his kids and ran.
“He had a child under each arm, running them across the street to get them to the neighbor’s house to get them away from that,” added Share.
Southaven and Memphis Police rushed out to the home along with union reps.
WREG has exclusive video of Falatko from 2011 when he was seen pulling a woman from a moving car.
Back in 2009, he also shot someone in the face in self-defense.
Like back then, Falatko was celebrated for his quick thinking.
“The kids are safe, and he’s safe. That’s a good thing. Obviously, we don’t like anything like this to happen,” said Mark Little of Southaven Police.
We tried to talk with family and other neighbors who cared for the children, but they were too shaken up by all this.
Those who did speak up say they’re hoping this won’t happen again.
Falatko told investigators he lives in Shelby County, as required for his job, and was visiting his children at the Mississippi home.
Neighbors told WREG they see him at the home daily.