Brownwood Man Arrested for Pointing Shotgun at Deputy
By: Lisa Tipton, Brownwoodnews.com
Updated: January 13, 2012
Brown County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to a home in the Shamrock Shores area at 3:52 pm on what began as a harassment call, but became a civil standby, the sheriff's report states. The deputy assisted a landlord who wanted to serve an eviction notice.
The tenant was not at home at the time deputies arrived, and the landlord said the tenant and her son sometimes went to a home across the street. The front door to that home was open, and deputies began to walk toward the it.
Deputy Brandon Arnold noticed a 20-gauge shotgun lying on a porch rail, prompting Arnold to unholster his pistol and walk onto the porch. The deputies noticed through the crack between the door and the frame that a man was sitting in a chair just to the left of the door.
According to the report, Arnold announced "sheriff's office," and someone inside called out "come on in." Because there was already a firearm involved in the situation, Arnold stayed outside and called out again, "sheriff's office," the report states.
Arnold saw the man stand up and move toward the doorway. The report states that they could see the barrel of a gun as the suspect approached the door, and then the suspect brought the firearm up to his shoulder preparing to fire.
The shotgun was pointed directly at Arnold's face at a distance of two to three feet, the report states.
Arnold aimed his pistol at the man and was about to fire when the second man walked up behind the suspect. The deputy did not shoot fearing that a bullet would strike the second man, the report states. Arnold took cover behind a refrigerator on the porch, and yelled for the man to drop the shotgun. After several seconds, the man with the shotgun placed the weapon on a chair and Arnold ordered both men out of the home.
Deputies later saw that the shotgun's breach was open, and a shell was jammed in the feeding mechanism which occurs when someone does not properly seat a shell in the magazine and the shell pops backwards, the report states.
The report also indicates that the man showed signs of intoxication which was a likely factor in his inability to properly load the shotgun.
Deputy Arnold said in the report that he believes that if the weapon had not been jammed, it would have discharged, and at that close range, it would have seriously injured, if not killed him.
