FORT WORTH, TX - The suspect in the shooting of an off-duty Tarrant County deputy remains behind bars as his bond amount increased from $100,000 to $1 million.
According to FOX 4, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) said that the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Leland Williams, walked into Fort Worth Community Credit union in east Fort Worth on Monday, November 27th, during the afternoon and pulled a handgun out in the lobby.
TCSO Deputy Brent Brown, 35, was working an off-duty security job in uniform at the time and went to confront Williams. Deputy Brown was shot twice in shootout with Williams, once in the upper chest and once in the lower abdomen. Brown is a 12-year veteran with the sheriff's office.
Video has been released showing the incident. Deputy Brown shot back at the fleeing suspect but did not appear to make contact.
After the shooting, Williams fled the scene on foot. Fort Worth Police and a SWAT team reportedly surrounded a home on Lynwood Hills Drive, which was about a half a mile away from where the shooting happened. After a short search, authorities found Williams and he was successfully taken into custody.
According to the Star-Telegram, the initial bond amount for Williams was set at $100,000. However, after public outrage, that amount was raised to $1 million. Prior to having his bond raised, leaders in Tarrant County and the state shared their outrage on social media over the original bond amount.
Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez posted to X that a $100,000 bond for Williams was "absolutely ridiculous" and that "there should be no bond for this felon." He then noted that with the $100,000 bond, Williams would have needed to put up $10,000 or 10 percent through a bail bond agency in order to be released.
He said in a statement, "We have to send that message to society, that if you go out there and victimize a police officer, if you go out there and try to kill one of them, we will throw the book at you."
The Fort Worth Police Officers Association posted that the initial bond amount could "jeopardize the safety of our communities." They said, "The evil criminal who shot a Tarrant County Sheriff's deputy received a $100,000 bond, posing a potential threat of returning to your neighborhood today."
Jennifer Hackney-Szimanski, the public affairs coordinator for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), posted to X, "This is the animal that shot a deputy yesterday twice in Tarrant County ... 100K? Hopefully I'm missing something from my desk here in Travis County where I would expect something like this."
In an emailed statement to the Star-Telegram, Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said that his office requested the district judge raise the bond to $500,000. In a follow-up email, he said, "I am glad Judge (Ryan) Hill recognized the seriousness of this case and was receptive to our request to increase the bond." Williams faces a charge of attempted murder of a peace officer.
According to Sheriff Bill Waybourn, Brown returned fire but did not wound Williams. He added, "Brent stood his ground. He did his duty and the nobility of what he did today is what law enforcement expects out of all of our officers and he did it well."
Ramirez, who was a police officer until he was elected to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, said that the initial bond amount set by a magistrate was insulting. He said, "We were disgusted. It's a slap in the face of every police officer that's out there putting their lives on the line every single day."
He said that even a $500,000 bond would not be enough for someone accused of trying to kill a police officer, but that he did appreciate the district attorney's office requesting the increase. Ramirez said that an attack on a police officer is an attack on an entire community. He believes that Williams should have been denied bond.
Ramirez said, "We have to understand that when police officers are victims of crimes, the entire community is a victim. Police officers are out there to protect our communities and that's what Deputy Brown was doing."
Waybourn said that he immediately began working with his judicial team to get the bond increased once he heard it had been set to only $100,000. He said in a statement, "The person who shot Deputy Brown is a danger to the public and should not breathe free air ever again. I am happy to see his bond is set to an amount that will make sure he doesn't harm anyone else before he goes to trial in this case."
A day after the shooting, Brown was reportedly up and walking around at the hospital after having surgery on the two gunshot wounds.
According to FOX 4, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) said that the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Leland Williams, walked into Fort Worth Community Credit union in east Fort Worth on Monday, November 27th, during the afternoon and pulled a handgun out in the lobby.
TCSO Deputy Brent Brown, 35, was working an off-duty security job in uniform at the time and went to confront Williams. Deputy Brown was shot twice in shootout with Williams, once in the upper chest and once in the lower abdomen. Brown is a 12-year veteran with the sheriff's office.
Video has been released showing the incident. Deputy Brown shot back at the fleeing suspect but did not appear to make contact.
After the shooting, Williams fled the scene on foot. Fort Worth Police and a SWAT team reportedly surrounded a home on Lynwood Hills Drive, which was about a half a mile away from where the shooting happened. After a short search, authorities found Williams and he was successfully taken into custody.
According to the Star-Telegram, the initial bond amount for Williams was set at $100,000. However, after public outrage, that amount was raised to $1 million. Prior to having his bond raised, leaders in Tarrant County and the state shared their outrage on social media over the original bond amount.
Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez posted to X that a $100,000 bond for Williams was "absolutely ridiculous" and that "there should be no bond for this felon." He then noted that with the $100,000 bond, Williams would have needed to put up $10,000 or 10 percent through a bail bond agency in order to be released.
He said in a statement, "We have to send that message to society, that if you go out there and victimize a police officer, if you go out there and try to kill one of them, we will throw the book at you."
The Fort Worth Police Officers Association posted that the initial bond amount could "jeopardize the safety of our communities." They said, "The evil criminal who shot a Tarrant County Sheriff's deputy received a $100,000 bond, posing a potential threat of returning to your neighborhood today."
Jennifer Hackney-Szimanski, the public affairs coordinator for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), posted to X, "This is the animal that shot a deputy yesterday twice in Tarrant County ... 100K? Hopefully I'm missing something from my desk here in Travis County where I would expect something like this."
In an emailed statement to the Star-Telegram, Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said that his office requested the district judge raise the bond to $500,000. In a follow-up email, he said, "I am glad Judge (Ryan) Hill recognized the seriousness of this case and was receptive to our request to increase the bond." Williams faces a charge of attempted murder of a peace officer.
According to Sheriff Bill Waybourn, Brown returned fire but did not wound Williams. He added, "Brent stood his ground. He did his duty and the nobility of what he did today is what law enforcement expects out of all of our officers and he did it well."
Ramirez, who was a police officer until he was elected to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, said that the initial bond amount set by a magistrate was insulting. He said, "We were disgusted. It's a slap in the face of every police officer that's out there putting their lives on the line every single day."
He said that even a $500,000 bond would not be enough for someone accused of trying to kill a police officer, but that he did appreciate the district attorney's office requesting the increase. Ramirez said that an attack on a police officer is an attack on an entire community. He believes that Williams should have been denied bond.
Ramirez said, "We have to understand that when police officers are victims of crimes, the entire community is a victim. Police officers are out there to protect our communities and that's what Deputy Brown was doing."
Waybourn said that he immediately began working with his judicial team to get the bond increased once he heard it had been set to only $100,000. He said in a statement, "The person who shot Deputy Brown is a danger to the public and should not breathe free air ever again. I am happy to see his bond is set to an amount that will make sure he doesn't harm anyone else before he goes to trial in this case."
A day after the shooting, Brown was reportedly up and walking around at the hospital after having surgery on the two gunshot wounds.
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Comments
2023-12-18T10:39-0600 | Comment by: D
Police officers are armed and in a uniform. Any suspect knows they will defend themselves and their community with the firearm they carry. A suspect poses a grave and greater danger to any citizen or unarmed individual significantly more so. If he’s willing to shot it out with trained Police officers, what will he do to an innocent citizen who appears unarmed. He should be a no bail hold until argument from his appointed Attorney and then reduced to 10, million.