Two Law Enforcement Officers Shot on Thanksgiving in Texas

HEMPSTEAD, TX — One incident in Texas killed one DPS Trooper and another injured a sheriff’s deputy in shooting incidents.

On Interstate 45, DPS Trooper Damon Allen was shot and killed while making a traffic stop in Freestone County, just south of Fairfield, at approximately 4 pm on Thanksgiving Day.

He had already spoken to the driver and was returning to his patrol car when the man exited his car and opened fire with a rifle. Trooper Allen was killed at the scene.

The man suspected of doing this was located in Waller County several hours later and taken into custody after exchanging shots with a Waller County Sheriff's Deputy who found him. He was found between Prairie View and Hempstead in his Chevy Malibu, reports state. Dabrett Black is being held in the Brazos County jail on a $500,000 bond. There are four charges listed in his record, including the capital murder charge, for which no bond is listed.

The $500,000 bond is for two charges, Assault of a Public Servant, and Evading arrest. Those charges are from Smith County where Tyler is.

Trooper Allen served with the Texas Highway Patrol for 15 years. He is survived by his wife and three children. He is the second DPS Trooper to be killed in the line of duty this month. On Nov. 4, Trooper Thomas Patrick Nipper was killed in a crash on I-35 near Temple.

Overnight, a Hays County deputy was injured and a suspect found dead after a shooting that occurred while deputies responded to a burglary report in Wimberley, officials said.

According to the Hays County Sheriff's Office, authorities were informed via 9-1-1 that a man with a gun was breaking into an antique store at approximately 3:45 a.m.

When deputies arrived to investigate, someone began shooting at them, authorities said. Deputies returned fire and the man, later identified as Rocky Miles West, 26, of Wimberley, retreated into a wooded area, officials said.

West was found later dead.

Officials are investigating if the suspected burglar and shooter died of injuries in the shootout with the deputy or not.

Hays County Sherrif’s Deputy Benjamin Gieselman, 28, suffered injuries to his legs and upper body. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, officials said. He is currently being treated in an Austin area hospital.

Gieselman has been with the sheriff’s office for three years.