Dallas police Lt. Sally Lannom said for a vigilante mob to attack a man accused of rape is unusual.
"It is outside the norm," she said.
The woman, who did not know the man, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Her condition was not immediately known.
The newspaper reported that only one woman at the apartment was willing to talk about what happened.
"He got what he deserved," Sharon Ivy said. "You don't go into (a) house ... do things to (a) momma and think it's all right. That was just a community watch."
Police said the man forced his way into the unlocked apartment of a 22-year-old woman around noon. Five children were in the apartment, some of whom belonged to the woman.
Authorities said he sexually assaulted the woman, and some of the children fled. After he laid down the knife and started getting dressed, the woman ran outside to tell her boyfriend.
The boyfriend and some others confronted the suspect in the apartment, and a fight began. Police said the fight led out into the parking lot, with an unknown number of people taking part.
The suspect in the rape eventually broke free and ran into another apartment, where he was shot.
Authorities were investigating the melee that followed the alleged assault.
