FAIRFIELD, TX — A Fairfield officer shot and killed a man suspected of threatening a woman Friday morning.
Nate Smith, the City Administrator for the City of Fairfield, said a 29-year-old man was threatening to harm a woman at 4:30 a.m. in the downtown area.
"During the altercation, the officer tried to use his taser to subdue the suspect. When the taser was not successful in subduing the suspect. He had to use deadly force," Smith said.
This location is close to the city’s main square.
The man was declared dead at the scene.
The officer, who has been with the department for 10 years, was not hurt.
This was the first officer-involved shooting for the department.
"We have very low criminal activity in the City of Fairfield. However, our officers train and prepare in case these situations do arrive and it's that training and preparation that makes us ready for this possibility," Smith said.
The downtown area where the shooting happened was blocked off Friday morning.
Hometown Pharmacy Owner Vance Oglesbee recalls getting to work at 7 a.m. and seeing police activity in front of his business.
"At this point in my life nothing surprises me anymore. But in a small town I've never seen an incident such as this," Oglesbee said.
Mary Small, owner of Accessories, Etc. in downtown Fairfield, was also surprised to hear this happened in her community.
"You never think about things like this happening in our hometown but things like that can happen in a town as small as Fairfield," Small said.
The taser the officer used was operational but did not subdue the suspect, according to Smith.
Fairfield has seven police officers, including the chief of police.
The officer in question has been interviewed. He is now on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
On Monday, the Fairfield City Council will talk about hiring another officer. They planned to do that before this happens but they are now expediting the process.
Smith did not disclose the following information pending the Texas Rangers Investigation:
- Name of suspect and city of residence
- Relationship of suspect and woman he was accused of threatening
- He did not disclose if the suspect was armed
The Texas Rangers will continue to investigate the incident.
