The blue alert was sent to Texans' cell phones after 11 p.m. late Monday. One is for the man accused of shooting a Clay County Sheriff's Office deputy. The shooting took place near Wichita Falls.
Investigators are looking for a man of slender stature. He was last seen wearing a dark flat-billed cap and driving a white four-door Cadillac.
The sheriff's office says a deputy attempted to pull over the man around 7:30 p.m. Monday at Jolly Truck Stop. When the deputy walked upstairs, they say he was shot and set on fire. According to Clay County Sheriff Jeffrey Lyde, the deputy was shot in his bullet-proof vest and is expected to recover.
Lyde said the vehicle's license plate number is FXJ-1334. Sheriff Lyde says the plates have been stolen.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 award for any information that leads to an arrest.
What is Blue Alert?
According to the Texas DPS, the Blue Alert program is used to alert people accused of killing or seriously injuring police officers or other members of law enforcement, in an effort to apprehend the suspect as quickly as possible. .
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order in 2009 to introduce the program, which includes emergency messages sent to cell phones and other devices, containing pertinent information about the suspect designed to facilitate tips and leads. .
The criteria used by DPS for issuing alerts are:
- A law enforcement officer must have been killed or grievously injured by a criminal
- The investigating law enforcement agency must determine whether the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel
- A detailed description of the offender's vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public
- Jurisdictional Investigation Law Enforcement Agency Should Recommend Texas DPS Activate Blue Alert
Emergency alerts can be turned on and off in your cell phone settings.