A Texas man allegedly shot and killed two sheriff’s deputies who were trying to catch a dog in his yard — after he warned them he would open fire if they didn’t get off his property, according to a report.
Jeffrey Nicholas, 28, allegedly fired the shots at Concho County deputies Stephen Jones and Samuel Leonard after they “made contact” with him Monday night in Eden, about 20 miles southwest of Dallas, authorities said.
“They walked up towards him, rushed him, and he pulled a gun, and shots were fired,” David Hutchings, a city employee who helps with animal control, told the San Angelo Standard-Times.
Hutchings said the officers had been helping pick up two dogs that had bitten someone earlier in the day.
One of the dogs ran into Nicholas’ yard, prompting him to yell at the officers to “get off his property” and that he “has his civil rights,” Hutchings said.
He said Nicholas warned the deputies that he would shoot them, and then opened fire.
Hutchings’ boss, Ronnie Winans, was also injured in the shooting when a bullet went through the door of a city pickup truck.
Nicholas was taken into custody and booked at Tom Green County Detention Center on two charges of capital murder of a peace officer.
With Post wires