Sgt. Stephen Jones
Officer: Concho County Sheriff's Office, Sgt. Stephen Jones
Date: 5/11/2021 Location: Eden, TX FACTORS (1,9,13,14,15,19)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Jeffery Vincent Nicholas
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Unknown./None stated before the incident.
Mental Illness: Unknown.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/28
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 8:40 p.m. on May 10, 2021, while investigating a dog bite incident, Sgt. Stephen Jones and Deputy Samuel Leonard chased a dog into Jeffrey Nicholas’ yard.
Actions taken by subject toward police: “Angered by the deputies’ presence on his property, Nicholas refused to cooperate and warned them to leave, or he would shoot them. Sgt. Jones and Deputy Leonard attempted to gain control over Nicholas, even deploying a taser on him, but Nicholas resisted their efforts, pulled out a concealed gun and fatally shot them both. Nicholas also shot another public employee working with the deputies to find the dog.
Reactions by the police: After a short standoff with the responding officers, Nicholas peacefully turned himself in to Sheriff Chad Miller.
How murdered? Sgt. Jones was fatally shot at close range while investigating a dog bite incident.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? As soon as Nicholas threatened to shoot the deputies for being on his property, they could have taken their weapons out and put Nicholas in their sights, demanding he put his hands up or get down on the ground.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Yes, once Nicholas threatened to shoot the deputies, they would have had reasonable cause to believe any furtive movement he made into his waistband area was to acquire a weapon – and therefore would have been justified to use deadly force on him.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Nicholas faces two counts of capital murder of a peace officer.
Miscellaneous: A nuisance dog investigation and two deputies outnumbering one man turns into two murdered LEOs because perpetrators are the aggressors and officers are always reacting. This incident shows why the police sometimes need to assume a more aggressive posture at the outset of an encounter and then deescalate as the situation permits.
