ORANGE, Texas — On Wednesday morning the Texas Department of Public Safety identified the man who was killed by police following a high-speed chase that ended in Orange Tuesday morning.
Jeremy Taylor Culp, 32, a Bridge City resident and U.S. Army veteran, was identified as the man who died in the Tuesday morning officer-involved shooting.
Funeral services for Culp 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. after shots were reportedly fired outside Culp’s Oak Circle St. home.
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 the DPS.
This was about two miles away from Culp’s home.
From the Cow Bayou Bridge, Culp led officers on a high-speed chase into Orange. The chase ended about six miles away when Culp’s truck struck a utility pole at the intersection of Green Ave and 15th St.
"We don't know what his intentions were traveling towards the middle school like I said the investigation is early on. We don't know what those intentions are. We are glad that it ended where it did end to prevent him from carrying on towards the school," said Sergeant Shana Clark.
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.
However, as they approached him, he grabbed the rifle and pointed it at officers. Several officers opened fire, fatally wounding him.
The investigation is complicated because it involves three different scenes and multiple law enforcement agencies, according to Sgt. Shana Clark of the DPS.
12News has requested more information such as which specific agencies were involved, how many officers are on administrative leave, and if the officer injured in the shooting was hit by a bullet or shrapnel.
"This is still a very active and ongoing investigation,” Clark responded. “There isn't any other information being released until it's confirmed."
Clark says that the three different scenes have complicated their investigation.
The shooting was caught on video by a witness at the Ford dealership across the street however, it does not show the seconds leading up to the shooting.
"The suspect laid the weapon down and began to lay prone, and as officers began to approach, the suspect picked up the gun and pointed it at the officers. Officers engaged and the suspect was shot," said Clark.
A school bus seen in the video passing by the wrecked truck as officers surrounded it belongs to Orangefield ISD.
There were no students on the bus at the time of the shooting, according to Orangefield superintendent Shaun McAlpin.
The bus driver was on the way to pick up students who attend career and technical classes in Orange.
"Our driver saw it all go down and he had to get out of the way of the speeding car,” McAlpin said. “The bus driver observed the incident and followed standard procedure to get out of the way."
Troopers say they don’t know what Culp’s intentions were saying the investigation is in its early stages.
We do know that Culp served in the U.S. Army from August 2010 through January 2013 as an infantryman in an Airborne unit, according to Bryce Dubee, of the Army’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.
He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2012 to August 2012 and was a private (E-1) when he left the Army in 2013, Dubee told 12News.
While serving Culp earned or was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal, according to Dubee.
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.