UPDATED! Police SWAT Operations Underway North of Downtown San Angelo

 

Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operations are underway just north of downtown San Angelo and Houston-Harte Expressway between Chadbourne St. and N. Bryant. All traffic is being diverted.

The San Angelo Police Public Information Officer will be holding a press conference shortly.

This ongoing event is occuring on the heels of a San Angelo shootout early this morning in front of Richard's Bar at 1218 Martin Luther King Dr., which is nearby. 

UPDATE 2:44 p.m.

The outer perimeter of the police cordon goes from Martin Luther King Dr. to Chandbourne St. and 9th St. to Houston-Harte. There is an inner cordon surrounding a brown house and tear gas has been deployed. The Chief of Police Tim Vasquez will address the media shortly.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m.

It appears to be a stand-off. Not much visible from our vantage point. Police won't allow anyone within photo distance of the operations. They appear to be continuing. Other media just showed up.

UPDATE 3:12 p.m.

Witnesses on the scene are saying that there is a connection between the SWAT operations ongoing and last night's  San Angelo shootout. But this is not confimed officially.

UPDATE 3:36 p.m.

Police busted down the door to the building where the suspects are.

UPDATE 3:48 p.m.

Location is confirmed by police to be at the corner Farr and 8th St. at 123 W. 8th St.  Police have entered the building. Witnesses are not sure there was anyone alive inside. We are awaiting confirmation as San Angelo Fire Dept. and EMS arrive at the building.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.

Chief of Police Tim Vasquez said in a press conference at 3: 50 p.m.: There was one person in house. His name was Jessie Fitchett, born in 1988. San Angelo Police Criminal investigations verified he was shooter at last night's  San Angelo shootout at Richard's Bar. Both victims from last night are confirmed dead. Fitchett may not have been acting alone last night, police said. Police arrived at the Farr house  at 1 p.m., set up perimeter and notified him repeatedly over megaphone to come out.

Fitchett didn't respond. There were reports that others were inside the house when the San Angelo Police team arrived but Fitchett pushed them out the door, telling them to leave. Police said that on several occassions Fitchett opened the back door showing a firearm in his hand but did not direct it at anyone or fire shots. Police deployed tear gas on multiple occassions but Fitchett did not come out.

When police finally entered the building at approximately 3:30 p.m., they found the suspect, Fitchett, on the floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was declared dead. The incident is still under investigation. 

UPDATE 4:41 p.m.

Police Chief Tim Vasquez came back to the media and informed us that the San Angelo Police SWAT team has helmet video of the entire operation, from start to finish. But the video is not going to be released to the public.

Here is a 2012 booking photo of the deceased suspect, Jessie Fitchett:

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Update 7:15 p.m.

Audio of the press conference with San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez.

UPDATE 1/12/2014 11:00 a.m.

Last year, San Angelo LIVE! profiled the San Angelo Police SWAT team.

The San Angelo gunman had a criminal history

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Keep up the excellent work in keeping San Angelo informed on news happening in our area on a timely basis. The Standard Times reporters are either too lazy to get out from behind a desk and go find something to report on or they think their doing a fabulous service by reading and copy/pasting what they read on the wire or in other cities news papers.....
I am ecstatic that we have objective real journalism going on in San Angelo. It is a godsend since all we had was the Sub-Standard Times. Kudos on the great work! I look forward to all of your future publications.

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