Page:Law Enforcement Officers 1996.pdf/61

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agent and one of the men occurred which resulted in both individuals firing their weapons. The 33-year-old victim agent was shot in the chest by a bullet fired from a .22caliber revolver; however, he managed to wound his alleged assailant in the wrist before the male fled back across the border. Law enforcement officers in Mexico later arrested a 46-year-old suspect. He has been charged with Murder and Narcotics Trafficking. A deputy sergeant with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed on May 24 at approximately 2:30 p.m. while attempting to serve a warrant. The 33-yearold victim deputy, who had over 4 years of law enforcement experience, and his partner were attempting to serve a man with a warrant on a charge of terroristic threatening. When the two deputies entered the man’s mobile home to serve the warrant, a struggle allegedly ensued. The officers were attempting to subdue the man when he allegedly produced a .38-caliber handgun and fired, striking the victim deputy sergeant in the head, neck, chest, and leg. The victim’s partner suffered minor wounds to his arm and shoulder. The 47-year-old alleged assailant, who had a history of mental problems, was apprehended at the scene after more officers arrived to assist. He has been charged with Capital Murder of a Peace Officer. On October 27 at approximately 1:45 p.m., the body of an 8-year veteran of the City of Giddings Police Department was discovered buried in a shallow grave on the property of a local citizen. An autopsy indicated that the 49year-old victim officer had died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by two different weapons, a .22-caliber handgun and what was later determined to be the victim officer’s .45-caliber service weapon. Investigation revealed that the victim officer had responded to assist a trooper in locating a driver who allegedly had left the scene of a one-vehicle accident. Witnesses reported seeing a male leave the wrecked vehicle

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carrying a large duffel bag. The same male allegedly was later seen in the vicinity of a local residence and mechanic garage. Another witness observed a Giddings police officer, in a marked patrol unit, talking to a male near the residence. A witness in the residence reported hearing shots and observing the police vehicle depart the residence driveway and travel eastward. When efforts to raise the officer on the radio were unsuccessful, numerous law enforcement personnel responded to the area in an attempt to locate both the officer and the driver of the abandoned wrecked vehicle. The victim officer’s abandoned patrol vehicle, in which a struggle appeared to have occurred, was discovered by law enforcement personnel less than a mile east of the residence driveway. In the meantime, the owner of the residence and the garage discovered the victim officer’s radio in his garage and blood on the driveway, which led law enforcement personnel to the body. A massive search was conducted, and an illegal alien was apprehended 2 days later in a wooded area near the scene of the murder. At the time of arrest, the male was in possession of the victim officer’s service weapon and spare ammunition clip as well as counterfeit INS identification and social security cards. He confessed to the crime and was charged with Capital Murder. On December 21 at approximately 10 p.m., a 38-year-old deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department was fatally wounded while working in an off-duty status. The 9-year veteran of law enforcement service was working in uniform, along with a fellow off-duty deputy also in uniform, as security at a local restaurant. Following a disturbance earlier in the evening, the victim deputy had ejected a male from the restaurant. Later, as the two deputies were attempting to curb another disturbance and were escorting an unruly male from the restroom, the individual they earlier ejected allegedly returned, opened fire on the officers with a 9 mm automatic handgun, and then fled. The victim deputy, who was wearing body armor, was struck in