HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 36-year-old Beaumont man has been identified as the fugitive shot and killed by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force in east Harris County Wednesday morning.
Jamie Devon Blanchard, 36, of Beaumont, died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences records.
Blanchard, who was wanted on multiple counts of sexual assault of a child in Jefferson County, died in the front yard of a home after being shot by members of the task force according to Harris County records.
He had been on the run since he was indicted on the charges in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting two girls.
Blanchard was previously charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl in Orange County in 2012 but was acquitted at trial according to the district clerk in Orange County.
As the task force conducted surveillance, they saw Blanchard come out of a home and tried to arrest him according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Blanchard jumped into a car, investigators said. They ordered him to surrender but then he showed he had a gun. That is when task force members opened fire on him, killing him.
Investigators would not confirm whether he shot at task force members.
The sheriff said no injuries to law enforcement were reported.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office was also on the scene investigating the officer-involved shooting.
The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force is a task force that's made up of local, state and federal agents as well as local police officers. Their mission is to go after the most violent offenders.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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