Abilene Sheriff’s Deputy Shoots Man While Serving a Warrant

ABILENE, TX — A sheriff’s deputy in Abilene shot a man who came at the deputy with a knife. News Director Jamie Burch at KTXS informed us via his KTXS photojournalist Nick Bradshaw and KTXS reporter Natalie Martinez who were exclusively on the scene with a live video just after the incident happened.

The Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop said the investigation of the officer-involved shooting is turned over to the Texas Rangers. The incident happened at approximately 10:30 p.m. Saturday night in south Abilene.

According to Bishop, four of his deputies attempted to serve a felony warrant for the arrest of the suspect. The deputies, who served on the night shift, had planned serving the warrant at night because previous daytime attempts were not successful.

When the deputies approached the suspect at his home, the suspect lunged at one of the officers with a knife. Bishop said the suspect was trying to stab one of the deputies and his men defended themselves by shooting the suspect. Who shot the man and how many shots were fired will be determined by the Rangers’ investigation, he said.

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The suspect was rushed to Hendrick Medical Center with injuries. However, Bishop said the suspect was conscious and talking before he was taken away by ambulance.

Bishop was asked by a news reporter there why the warrant was served at such a late hour on a Saturday night. “Warrants are good 24 hours, seven days a week. We tried three different occasions and couldn’t find him,” Bishop answered. At 11:45 p.m. Saturday night, Bishop said the suspect was being prepped for surgery, but he did not know the man’s condition.

Taylor County Sheriff’s Office investigators have secured the scene and as of midnight Sunday, Bishop said the Texas Rangers were on the way to take over the investigation. Bishop did not release the name of the suspect who was shot.

He was being served a warrant for DWI involving an accident, a felony.

Burch at KTXS did some sleuthing and determined that a warrant was issued for an April 15 incident where the suspect was arrested for felony DWI with an accident. His name is Emmet Edward Hall, 60, living in the 1500 block of Oldham Lane, where the shooting took place.