ORANGE, Texas — At least five Southeast Texas law enforcement officers from three agencies are on paid administrative leave following an officer-involved shooting Monday morning that left a 32-year-old Bridge City man dead.
It is standard procedure for officers to be put on leave during the investigation, which is being handled by the Texas Rangers.
Two Orange County deputies, two City of Orange Police officers and one Department of Public Safety trooper are currently on paid leave following the shooting that happened after a high-speed chase, according to each department.
While the first crime scene related to the chase was in a Bridge City neighborhood, none of the city’s police officers were involved in the shooting, according to Bridge City Police.
The shooting happened in Orange after Jeremy Culp, 32, of Bridge City, led police on a chase from Bridge City to Orange.
12news has reached to request body camera footage from all of the agencies involved.
Funeral services for Culp, who was an Army veteran, have been set for 2 p.m. Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Claybar Funeral Home in Orange. Visitation will be at noon, prior to the service, with burial to follow at St. Mary Cemetery in Orange.
The incident started in Bridge City just before 9 a.m. Monday, after shots were reportedly fired outside Culp’s Oak Circle St. home, according to police.
Shortly after, Culp left the area in a white pickup truck and then struck a Chambers County Constable deputy who was on a motorcycle escorting a heavy load over the Cow Bayou Bridge Bridge on eastbound Texas Highway 87, according to DPS Sgt. Shana Clark.
From the Cow Bayou Bridge, Culp led officers on a 6-mile-long high-speed chase into Orange. The chase ended when Culp’s truck struck a utility pole at the intersection of Green Ave and 15th St.
Culp got out of the truck with a semi-automatic rifle and initially obeyed the officer’s orders to put it down and lay on the ground, according to Sgt. Clark during a Monday afternoon news conference.
However, as they approached him, he grabbed the rifle and pointed it at officers. Several officers opened fire, fatally wounding him. she said on Monday.
Clark says that the three different scenes have complicated their investigation.
Troopers say they don’t know what Culp’s intentions were noting that the investigation is in its early stages.
His family has declined to comment at this time, but neighbors described the family as close and kind.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.