LODD - 2 County Deputies Killed

May 17, 2007

PAYNE SPRINGS — Two County deputies are dead and another is

being treated for injuries at a Tyler hospital after responding to a

domestic disturbance call.

The identities of the victims and the deputy who was wounded have not

been released.

One of the officers killed was in uniform and the other was a plain

clothes investigator, said Pat Mc, the public information

officer for County Sheriff's Office.

The gunman was also being treated for gunshot wounds, Berkley,

East Texas Medical Center public relations manager, confirmed. She

said both the gunman and wounded officer were at ETMC in Tyler, but

she could offer no more information.

Television footage showed police cars lining a dirt road near the

farmhouse in the rural area.

The road to the house where the shooting took place is currently

blocked off, said an employee of the Simple Simon's Pizza restaurant

on Highway 198 in Mabank, about one mile from the shooting site.

The employee, who said he would rather not give his name, said

numerous law enforcement vehicles and ambulances raced by the

restaurant between 5:30 and 6 p.m.

The shootings were the talk of the restaurant, he said, as people

speculated about what had happened and word began to get out that

peace officers had been killed.

It is the second time in two years that an East Texas law officer has

been killed while responding to a domestic violence dispute. Last year

County constable Dale Geddie was shot to death responding to a

call just north of Tyler.

Payne Springs is located on Cedar Creek Lake near Gun Barrel City.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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