Many North Texan phones buzzed with a warning of a “Law Enforcement Blue Alert” late Monday night, just a few hours after a deputy from the Clay County Sheriff’s office was shot in Oklahoma County, northwest of Fort Worth, near Wichita Falls. The Blue alert was later discontinued.
Blue Alert is typically activated when a suspect is on the run after killing or causing serious injury to a police officer. Though reports claimed that the warning message did not have much information, it was well-known that the police were on the lookout for the shooter only described as a white man with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a flat-billed cap and driving a white four-door Cadillac with Texas license plates. The alert also urged everyone to monitor their TVs and radios, following the reports of the police shooting incident.
The sheriff’s office also issued a statement saying that the deputy who got shot, Deputy Breanton Chitwood, attempted to stop the suspect at the Jolly Truck Stop when the incident happened. Chitwood claimed that he had been walking up to the car when the driver shot him. Though Chitwood was able to return fire after getting shot, the suspect still managed to escape.
According to Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde, Chitwood sustained wounds from the shot. But because Chitwood was shot while wearing a bulletproof vest, he is expected to be safe.
Investigators are still on the hunt for the escaped suspect, but they found the discarded Texas license plates bearing the numbers FXJ-1334, which turned out to be stolen.
Law enforcement officials are currently looking for the escaped suspect, an unidentified white man with a thin build. He is driving a white four-door Cadillac near the Texas-Oklahoma border. The car is believed to be damaged, with a broken rear window and bullet holes.
Crime Stoppers is also offering $5,000 for any information that would lead to the suspect’s arrest.
