Texas Deputies Face Lawsuit After Shooting Man on 911 Call

(Boerne, TX) Being a law enforcement officer in Texas is a very difficult job and unfortunately not everything goes according to plan.

Recently KXAN wrote a story about a Texas man who is now suing Guadalupe County Sheriff Deputies who shot him while he was on the phone with 911 dispatchers.

What Lead Up to the Shooting?

40-year-old Ronald Smith was sitting outside the Guadalupe Valley Cemetary with one hand being used to call 911, the other was in the air as deputies were surrounding him.

Deputies are seen on video shouting for Smith to show his hands and put them in the air. To make sure he didn’t have anything dangerous on him.

One deputy is heard shouting to another deputy to cover him as he switched his weapon to a less lethal pepper gun.

The intense situation was going on for approximately one minute before one deputy pulled the trigger and shot Smith in the face with a pepper gun.

READ MORE: Texas Law Enforcement Targeting Specific Gang

Federal Lawsuit Claims the Deputies Used Too Much Force

The stop took place back in June of 2021 and there is now a federal lawsuit alleging the deputies that responded to the scene used excessive force against Smith.

The legal teams for the deputies are denying any wrongdoing.

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Smith Says the Encounter Went Differently

One of the deputies reports the incident began when Smith was seen jumping over barbed wire fence and running in a field.

Smith says one deputy nearly hit him with his cruiser and he flipped them off which led to this incident.

The deputies asked if any neighbors in the area wanted to press charges for trespassing, none wanted to press charges.

In the end, Smith was arrested and charged with evading arrest, that charge was dismissed.

The lawsuit continues regarding the claim of excessive force, we will continue to update you as this case continues to progress.