Suspect charged with capital murder for shooting Dallas officer

(Reuters) - One of the two Dallas police officers shot outside a Home Depot store died on Wednesday and the man suspected of the crime was being held on a capital murder charge, which can bring the death penalty, officials said.

Armando Juarez, 29, was caught after a high-speed chase following Tuesday's shooting at a Home Depot store, Dallas police said.

The officer who died was identified as Rogelio Santander, 27. Officer Crystal Almeida, 26, remained in critical condition, police said.

"We come before you this morning with broken hearts," Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall said in announcing Santander's death.

A Home Depot security officer, Scott Painter, who also was shot, remained in critical condition, Hall told reporters outside Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.

Hall said Almeida and Painter were "making remarkable recoveries."

Both police officers had been with the department for three years, officials said.

Juarez was being held at the Dallas County Jail on $1 million bond. He was also wanted on a prior felony theft warrant.

"I’ve assigned a team of prosecutors from my office to assist the Dallas Police Department in our mutual pursuit of justice," Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said in a statement.

A woman, who was not identified, was also taken into custody with Juarez, Hall said. Local media reported she was a passenger in the pickup truck.

Local media reported Juarez was being represented by a public defender. The Dallas County Public Defender office did not immediately return a call for comment.

Hall said the shooting began at about 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday after an off-duty officer working at the store detained a man and called for help.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Wis., Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas, and Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Bill Trott)