San Marcos Police Officer Killed In Line Of Duty

December 4, 2017

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“First and foremost, I want to offer my thoughts, condolences and prayers to Officer Copeland’s family, his wife and his four children and his family within the walls of this department,” San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp said.

A San Marcos Police Officer was shot and killed Monday at 2:30 PM while serving a warrant in the El Camino Real subdivision.

Officer Kenneth Copeland, 58, and several other officers arrived at a home in the El Camino Real subdivision to serve an arrest warrant for a violent crime. The suspect is reported to have open fired on the officers.

Officer Copeland was hit multiple times and rushed by a fellow police officer to Central Texas Medical Center in the back of a police car. At 3:50 PM, he was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Joann Prado.

“I want to offer my thanks to all the members of Central Texas Medical Center who tried very hard to save Ken’s life,” Chief Stapp said. “They are part of our family as well. They did a great job.”

According to Chief Stapp, Copeland was wearing his ballistic vest, and the bullets did not penetrate it. However, it was not able to save him.

Additional officers maintained the scene in the hopes of negotiating with the suspect and getting him to surrender; they were eventually joined by the Hays County—San Marcos joint SWAT team and Crisis Negotiation Team.

Chief Stapp said Copeland’s assailant did eventually surrender to police officer peacefully; he was taken to a local hospital to have what is believed to be a gunshot wound treated. Currently, it is unknown the wound is self-inflicted or not. When he is medically stable, he will be transferred to and booked in Hays County Jail.

Officer Copeland is the first officer of the San Marcos Police Department to be killed in the line of duty.

According to Chief Stapp, Officer Copeland had served with the San Marcos Police Department since 1998, who said he often worked on his days off to provide for his kids and because he knew SMPD was shorthanded.

The suspect’s name has not been released. Officers could not comment on the nature of the arrest warrant or any specific details about the scene of the crime at present.

Hays County Sheriff, Gary Cutler, Hays County District Attorney, Wes Mau, San Marcos City Manager, City Manager Bert Lumbreras, Assistant Chief of Police Brandon Winkenwerder and Assistant Chief of Police Bob Klett were also present to show their support.

“No city is prepared for this,” Mayor John Thomaides said. “And we are all mourning together. We will continue to mourn even as we all get back to the business of serving our citizens. The city of San Marcos is a family business, and Officer Copeland was a member of our family. And my message to our city in this time of tremendous tragedy is that we need to come together now more than ever.”