BIG LAKE, Texas -- A nearly 17-hour standoff between law officers and a man suspected of fatally shooting a West Texas deputy has ended with the alleged gunman's capture.
Reagan County Sheriff Jeff Garner said Thursday that a male suspect was barricaded in a house in Big Lake. Garner says the standoff began around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday and continued through the night and into Thursday.
The San Angelo Standard-Times reports that a tactical team entered the house in Big Lake about 11 a.m. Thursday and found 43-year-old Marcus Madison hiding in a closet. Garner says Madison was hospitalized with a facial wound.
Garner identified the slain officer as 26-year-old Deputy Josh Mitchell. Garner declined to provide further details on the suspect or what led to Mitchell’s fatal shooting Wednesday night. He did say that multiple firearms were found inside the home.
The sheriff says Mitchell had been with the department for at least eight years.
Department of Public Safety Trooper Phillip "Sparky" Dean told The Associated Press that Mitchell went to the house "on official business" but had no further details.
Big Lake is a town of about 2,900, located 70 miles southeast of Midland.
