The Travis County Sheriff’s Office out of Round Rock, Texas, says one of its deputies has died after he was shot and killed at his home north of Austin. A spokesperson from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said Sgt. Craig Hutchinson had been injured early Monday, but initially declined to report on his condition. Hutchinson was a 32 year veteran officer, who was sent to retire this September. [photo via American Statesman]
According to ABC 13, around 1:30am, Hutchinson used his law enforcement radio for help, but very few details are known at this moment about what happened before the deputy died. Austin police were working to shut down Highway 35 as a motorcade carried the body of the deputy from the hospital. At the time of this writing, no arrests have been made, but a SWAT team was dispatched to the area.
An eyewitness told KEYE-TV that armed officers were in the area searching for two people.
Please keep our @TravisCoSheriff family in your thoughts & prayers. Sad, troubling times we live in. @Austin_Police stands with our friends.
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) July 25, 2016
#RRTraffic Be advised McNeil Rd. has been shutdown from Messick Lp. to Round Rock West due to the active scene of slain @TravisCoSheriff SGT
— Round Rock Police (@roundrockpolice) July 25, 2016
According to Statesman.com, Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton said Hutchinson called in on the radio that people were running out of the backyard of his home in southwest Round Rock around 1:22 A.M. Hamilton said officers arrived to find the deputy shot in the yard about 10 minutes after the call.
Officer Greg Hamilton said of Hutchinson, “He taught me everything I know,” and that “this guy was a big teddy bear.”
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What Happened?
Travis County Sheriff’s Officer Craig Hutchinson died Monday morning after sustaining a gunshot wound. Hutchinson called in on the radio that people were running out of the backyard of his home in southwest Round Rock around 1:22 A.M. Hamilton said officers arrived to find the deputy shot in the yard about 10 minutes after the call.
The sheriff said the shooting appears to be part of a robbery and that investigators so far do not think the incident was an ambush or a targeted attack. He said there was no word on any suspects but that the area had seen other burglaries recently. The investigation is expected to take all day with tens of law enforcement vehicles and personnel scanning the neighborhood.
Who was Craig Hutchinson?
Craig Hutchinson was a 32-year veteran officer who was scheduled to retire this upcoming September. Sheriff Greg Hamilton, who was trained by and was a friend of Hutchinson said he “owed everything he knew to his Sargeant” and that he was “a big teddy bear”.
