Little River-Academy’s police chief, who started on the job just last month, was shot and killed early Thursday evening after responding to a report of a man with a gun at a house in the area of Main and Allison Streets.
The report came in at around 5:10 p.m. Thursday and the officer, identified by Mayor Ronnie White as Lee Dixon, 54, responded alone, but a short time later requested assistance.
A short time after that, authorities began to receive 911 calls about the shooting, Bell County Sheriff’s Lt. Donnie Adams said.
A man was arrested at the scene of the shooting whom authorities later identified him as David Reisner.
White was clearly stunned by the shooting.
“I ain’t soaked it all in yet,” he said.
A man who asked not to be identified who said he was a friend of the gunman’s said he couldn’t understand why the shooting happened.
He described the gunman as an “honest man” and “truthful person” with whom he would have trusted his life.
Dixon was a police officer in the town of about 2,000 residents south of Temple a decade ago and was hired as chief just last month after serving as a Milam County sheriff’s deputy for the past nine years.
He was the fourth officer to die in the line of duty in Bell County in less than a year.
On July 14, 2013, Pfc. Dustin Billy Cole, 24, of Talihina, Okla., opened fire with an AK47 on two Killeen police SWAT Team officers.
Officer Robert “Bobby” Layden Hornsby, 32, of Killeen died.
Officer Juan E. Obregon, Jr., 33, was wounded.
On Dec. 1, 2013, Bell County Deputy Sheriff Adam Davis, 36, who was in a coma and in critical condition after suffering head injuries in a single-vehicle crash on responding to a call died just after 10 a.m that night. at Scott & White Hospital.
Adams was near the end of his shift when he responded at around 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 1 to a report of a man with a gun near Pendleton.
He lost control of his patrol car on Farm-to-Market- Road 1237 just southwest of the community.
On May 9, Killeen police Detective Charles “Chuck” Dinwiddie, an 18-year veteran and on the SWAT Team for 15 years, was shot while serving a search warrant at 1104 Circle M Dr.
He died on May 11 at Scott & White Hospital in Temple.
Dixon was hired last month to replace Troy Hess, whom the Little River-Academy City Council voted unanimously in March to fire for failing to show up for work or to complete reports.
Hess was hired in September 2009 and had served as chief for the past three years.
He attended the meeting and refused to resign before the council voted to terminate him and later declined to comment pending a possible lawsuit.
Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the town until Hess was replaced.
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