UPDATE: Constable’s gunshot wound apparently self-inflicted, sheriff says
Published 4:14 pm Sunday, February 8, 2015
- John Smith
UPDATE (12:57 p.m. CT): Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith confirmed all evidence so far in the investigation suggests the gunshot wound suffered by Constable John Smith was self-inflicted.
“We will not be releasing any information further information regarding this investigation due to it being self-inflicted,” Sheriff Smith said in a statement. “Please keep Constable Smith and his family in your prayers as they deal with this tragic event. Constable John Smith is a longtime law enforcement officer who has served with distinction and dignity and who is loved and respected as such in Smith County.”
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UPDATE (11:17 a.m. CT): Smith County Precinct 4 Constable John Smith is awake this morning at East Texas Medical Center, where his wife is with him.
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KENNETH DEAN, kdean@tylerpaper.com
Smith County Precinct 4 Constable John Smith remains in critical condition this morning after suffering a gunshot wound to the head late Saturday night.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, no relation, said his office received a 911 call shortly before 10 p.m. that Constable Smith was found in his driveway in Starville and appeared to have been shot.
“The first arriving Smith County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy determined that Constable Smith was breathing but unconscious. He was transported by ambulance to East Texas Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition,” the sheriff said.
Sheriff Smith said the constable was placed in ICU after he underwent emergency surgery.
Constable Smith was appointed to the office in 2006 when then Constable Dale Geddie Jr., was shot and killed as he answered a domestic disturbance call.
Constable Smith has since been reelected without an opponent. He is a former deputy with the Smith County Sheiff’s Office.
Additional information will be posted once it becomes available.
