LEE CO. DEPUTY WOUNDED IN SHOOTOUT; SUSPECT KILLED
(Lee Co. Sheriff's Office)
A Lee County Sheriff’s deputy was injured during a shootout Tuesday night with a suspect in Dime Box.
According to DPS Sergeant Deon Cockrell, a deputy and DPS trooper were attempting to locate Raul Vega Perez, who had a warrant out of the sheriff’s office for Failure to Appear/Sexual Assault of a Child. The sheriff’s office said Perez had previous arrests for murder and sexual assault, and was believed to be armed and dangerous.
The deputy and trooper located Perez around 9:45 p.m. near the 1000 block of Stephen F Austin Boulevard. According to Sgt. Cockrell, Perez abruptly entered a home, and the deputy and trooper gave chase.
The deputy was shot by the suspect soon thereafter, and the deputy and trooper returned fire.
The deputy was airlifted to a hospital in Austin. Perez was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Giddings Times & News, three other people who were at the home are safe. The newspaper reported that at last check, the deputy was in stable condition.
The shooting is under investigation by the Texas Rangers.
The Lee County Wounded Deputy Fund has been started at First National Bank of Giddings. Any money donated to the account will be used to help wounded or fallen deputies and their families. Donations can be made at the bank or through the Lee County Law Enforcement Support Organization, using the link here.