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Authorities have identified the Travis County, Texas sheriff’s deputy who was killed early Monday as Sgt. Craig Hutchinson, a veteran officer of 32 years who was set to retire in September.
Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton said Hutchinson called in on the radio that people were running out of the backyard of his home in southwest Round Rock around 1:22 a.m. Hamilton said officers arrived to find the deputy shot in the yard about 10 minutes after the call.
The sheriff said the shooting appears to be part of a robbery and that investigators so far do not think the incident was an ambush or a targeted attack. He said there was no word on any suspects but that the area had seen other burglaries recently.
Hamilton reflected on the life of the deputy, noting that Hutchinson was his field training officer.
“He taught me everything I know,” he said. “This guy was a big teddy bear.”
Hamilton later recalled how when he started at the sheriff’s office in 1985, “I worked in the jail with him. He went out on patrol before I did,” Hamilton said. “He was my field training officer, so this is very near and dear to me.”
Hamilton said Hutchinson, known within the agency as Hutch, was loved by everyone.
“He was about 6-foot-4 and weighed about 275 but he was a gentle bear… I loved that guy to death.”
The investigation is expected to span much of the day.
Residents in the area near Oak Meadow Drive and East Messick Loop say they’re shocked this happened here.
Neighbor Jeri Schwartz woke up early Monday morning after hearing police activity. She said one of the first things that popped into her head was the Travis County sheriff’s office vehicle that is always parked down the street.
“You just never think it could happen so close to your home,” she said.
6:50 a.m. update: A Travis County sheriff’s deputy who was shot in his home in Round Rock early Monday has died at a local hospital, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Association president.
Austin police says their officers and Round Rock police are temporarily shutting down the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 as the body of the deputy is escorted from a hospital in Round Rock to the Travis County medical examiner’s office on 15th Street in Austin.
6:35 a.m. update: Law enforcement officers from multiple Central Texas agencies are responding to reports of an officer down in Round Rock.
Authorities at the scene said police received reports of the incident around 1:20 a.m. near Oak Meadow Drive and East Messick Loop.
A spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the officer down around 6 a.m., but declined further comment.
Authorities will brief reporters shortly to discuss the specifics of the incident.
Dozens of police vehicles have filled the residential neighborhood off McNeil Road where the incident took place. Several officers in the area are wearing tactical gear and many have rifles.
McNeil has been completely shut down while authorities investigate.
Earlier: A Travis County sheriff’s deputy was shot in his home in Round Rock early Monday and authorities are searching for two suspects.
Round Rock police are telling neighbors to stay inside their homes while multiple law enforcement agencies investigate.
The home is near Messick Loop and McNeil Road in the Cimmaron neighborhood in southwest Round Rock. Morning commuters are being encouraged to avoid the area.
Austin police Chief Art Acevedo asked the public via Twitter to “please keep our Travis County Sheriff’s family in your thoughts and prayers. Sad, troubling time we live in. Austin police stands with our friends.”
