The Kinney County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office has lost a deputy in the line of duty.
Deputy Sheriff Jose Blancarte suffered a fatal heart attack at the scene of a vehicle fire on Highway 90 four miles west of Brackettville.
He began directing traffic after assisting at the fire scene. A short time later he began feeling ill and requested EMS to his location. Medics began to perform CPR when he became unresponsive while being transported to a local hospital. He passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Deputy Blancarte had served with the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, four children, mother, and six siblings.
This loss of this deputy marks the 76th officer fallen this year and the 4th in as many days.
His end of watch was Friday, August 23, 2019. Rest easy, brother.
In the meantime, while we have very little information at this time, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has identified the corrections officer who died at Pima County Superior Court Wednesday morning as Brian Krumm, who was a 13-year veteran with the department.
UPDATE: Lockdown has been lifted at the Pima County Superior Courthouse. Deputies are responding to reports of a deseased employee. pic.twitter.com/Wee1RIkV5G
— Allie Potter (@alliepottertv) August 21, 2019
Sheriff Mark Napier says it happened in a secure area not accessible to the public at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Napier said other corrections officers were nearby at the time and came to Krumm’s aid within seconds.
“At that time, he was in a secure area that was not accessible to the public. We believe at that time he was alone and that this was not the result of felonious contact he had with an inmate or another party,” Napier said.
He went on to explain the quick response.
“There were several corrections officers who were there within seconds of the incident, but the injuries to our corrections officer were fatal. When we know what occurred and we are sure of the facts, we will release them to the media. It is an incredibly sad day for the department.”
PCSD says that there was no threat to the public.
In a statement released Wednesday evening the Sheriff’s Department said:
“Please understand this is a difficult and tragic day for this department and this incident is being carefully investigated. We will provide more information as we can. Thank you for your support and understanding.”
The sheriff’s department has not yet released how he shot. While multiple news sources in Arizona have covered this event, none have speculated as to the source of the gunshot that claimed his life.
TheCount.com is the only outlet that has speculated or claimed outright that the fatal wound was self-inflicted.
As the sheriff stated this was not the result of contact with any other person, we can conclude that it was self-inflicted. We are awaiting word as to whether it was an intentional or accidental discharge of the weapon.
There is an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Krumm’s death. Law Enforcement Today will keep track of this investigation and will provide updates once the Pima County Sheriff’s office holds their press conference.
Out thoughts and prayers go out to Krumm’s family and to the men and women in law enforcement in Pima County and Tucson.
In East St. Louis, Illinois today, family and friends are morning the death of a state trooper who died after he was shot early Friday.
He was 33-year-old Illinois State Trooper Nick Hopkins. He was the proud father of three children. He’d been with the Illinois State Police for about 10 years.
According to Illinois State Trooper Josh Korando, the officer was shot while executing a warrant in East St. Louis.
Shortly after, police surrounded a home near 42nd Street and Caseyville Avenue.
We’re told that police arrested at least one person about 6 a.m. and then searched a second area nearby around 43rd Street and Vanburen Avenue.
Shortly after, we were told that a total of three people were taken into custody.
HAPPENING NOW: “Keep coming. Keep coming. Hands up!” is what I keep hearing over a loud speaker of an apparent active shooter in East St. Louis. This is on 42nd street. @FOX2now pic.twitter.com/v9NNu35XV6
— Derrion L. Henderson (@DerrionLH) August 23, 2019
“It is with profound heartache and unfathomable sadness that we inform you of the death of Trooper Nicholas Hopkins. Trooper Hopkins laid down his life while protecting the citizens of this state. We are asking the public to respectfully give consideration to the family of Trooper Hopkins and the ISP while we continue to grieve and work through this tragedy,” stated Acting Director Brendan Kelly.
Illinois Governor JB Britzker took to Twitter:
“Our state troopers display unbelievable courage and put their lives on the line for us every single day,” Illinois Governor JB Britzker said. “Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this dangerous active situation in East St. Louis, and every day.”
A neighbor, Dorothy Burns, said heard commotion in the area around 5:30 a.m. as her husband readied for work.
“All I heard is boom boom — two shots,” she said. “Then it sounded like an explosion and I saw smoke like they were trying to smoke ‘em out.”
Burns said she’s on 42nd Street for three years. She then seemingly blamed police in her rant to local media.
“All I can say is they need to cut this violence out because it’s on my block,” she said. “Police need to get some stun guns cuz too many people are getting shot. Too many guns around.”
According to Terrence Hargrove Sr., another neighbor who lives about six houses down from where the trooper was shot, said he heard police detonating “concussion bombs,” or stun grenades, at about 5:30 a.m.
He says when he walked outside, he saw his street were lined with police vehicles.
“Police are everywhere,” said Hargrove.
Another neighbor who lives just a few blocks down talked to local media outlets about the shootings that have killed 24 people in East St. Louis this year – including her late husband, John Graham.
“This is sad. It’s just sad. What can we do to save our community to make it better for our children, seniors and neighbors.?” she said. “All these killings are just senseless.”
In the meantime in California, there’s still a manhunt underway after a California sheriff’s deputy was shot by a sniper on Wednesday.
It happened at about 2:50 p.m. in the parking lot of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lancaster station.
Police say Sheriff’s Deputy Angel Reinosa, 21, suffered a “graze wound” to the shoulder.
They say he was shot by a sniper while walking to his car in the station’s lot.
His call came in over emergency radios.
“I have taken shots from the north of the Lancaster helipad,” the deputy is heard saying over the radio. “I think I’m hit in the right shoulder.”
He was hit with a high-velocity rifle round and said two shots had been fired at him from a nearby four-story apartment building. He was able to scramble back to the station and get medical help.
Reinosa was rushed to the hospital, where he’s expected to recover. No surgery was needed. Police say Reinosa’s bulletproof vest saved his life.
“He is doing great, thankfully,” Sheriff’s Capt. Todd Weber said. “The wound was minor and he’s been treated and he’s doing well, in high spirits.”
According to Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, the deputy’s bulletproof vest saved his life but the bullet deflected into his shoulder.
“He was walking out of the sheriff’s station, and a sniper took a shot at him,” Parris said. “It is incomprehensible in our city.”
Right now, it appears the shooting was a random act and not one directed at that specific deputy.
“It was not targeted on this specific deputy. It was any deputy would do.”
Deputies blocked off the area where they believed the shot came from, saying it was a “considerable distance”. They did not say how many shots were fired. They believed they had the shooter contained, but he was able to escape.
While searching the area, the SWAT team was called in and armored vehicles were brought in to provide cover for deputies using binoculars to scan the building for the sniper.
They spent several hours clearing nearby buildings, including a library and an apartment complex.
At a news conference Wednesday night, Weber said Reinosa has been with the Sheriff’s Department for a year and joined the Lancaster station in May for patrol training.
During that news conference, Parris said the shooter fired from a “building filled with people who are being treated for mental illness.”
It now appears the shooter fired from a building that provides permanent supporting housing for a variety of people, including low- to moderate-income people and people who have disabilities, have been diagnosed with mental illnesses or were recently homeless.
A source told local media outlets that Mental Health America of Los Angeles’ Antelope Valley enrichment services building shares a parking lot with the apartment building, but that source said it’s not where the shooter fired from.
Residents of the building shared with media that there are some mental-health patients who live in the complex. But they also clarified the building is not specifically designated for that purpose.
The entire thing is low-income government subsidized housing.
The department evacuated hundreds of residents as deputies went floor-to-floor to search for the shooter.
Late on Wednesday evening, police arrested two people. But they later say the individuals had just been uncooperative with the search and evacuation orders, and were not considered suspects.
Residents say the shooting wasn’t a huge surprise.
“They let people live in our apartment complex who have mental illness,” said Terrisa McGhee, who lives in the apartment complex. “It’s kind of scary because there’s no security onsite 24 hours. Management is never here when things happen. The cops are in there constantly. So it’s not a surprise.”
Police completed the search before 11 p.m. with no suspect in custody, and everyone allowed back into their homes.
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