NEWTON COUNTY, Texas — The Newton County Police Chief who was shot while assisting during an eviction notice over the weekend was back at work Wednesday.
It happened Saturday, January 14, 2023. Chief Will Jackson and Sheriff Robert Burby were helping Newton County Precinct One Constable Colton Havard evict a man and woman from a home in the 3100 block of FM 1004.
"I have had not contact, no luck with these people," Constable Havard previously told 12News. "They've refused to talk to me, refused to cooperate. Unfortunately that's what led us to these events today. If you were to just to come out and talk to me, this all could have been avoided."
When law enforcement went to the house, a woman inside reportedly told them they were trespassing.
"She was very uncooperative, did not want to comply whatsoever," Constable Havard said.
Law enforcement forcibly entered the house and were met with gunfire. Several shots were fired from the home, with one hitting Chief Jackson. It is unclear which one of the suspects fired the round that hit the chief.
"Struck him in the back," Constable Havard said. "He was wearing a ballistic vest. It actually probably saved him a great deal of damage. It struck the skin."
When Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby heard the call come over the radio about an officer down, he came running.
"When I saw Chief Jackson standing next to his car and everything, I got a sense of relief that if he was hit he's still standing," Burby said.
Chief Jackson has a lot to be thankful for. He says the moment he was hit, it felt like a tear in his body.
"I just went dark and next thing I remember I was lying face down on the ground in front of the doorway and I knew I had to get to cover," Jackson said.
In that moment Chief Jackson figured he might need stitches, but emergency medical technicians were more concerned with his heart.
"The impact of the bullet took my heart out of rhythm and they were trying to get it my blood pressure back down," Jackson said.
Chief Jackson was taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, where he was visited by his officers and received a phone call from his son
"He was concerned with how I was and I explained to him I was okay. I didn't want anybody to panic. I was fine," Jackson said.
In the more than 30 years working in law enforcement, Chief Jackson says he's never been shot in the line of duty.
Most agencies, including the Newton Police Department, require officers to wear a vest.
"If it was another quarter of an inch it would have missed my vest completely and the bullet would have made it probably went into my lungs or my heart," Jackson said.
Knowing what he knows now, Chief Jackson says he'd still answer the call from Saturday.
"It's just the way i'm built i'm not going to let them win. Being a police officer is not for everybody, but you can't live your life in fear," he said.
Chief Jackson says he has a doctor's appointment on Thursday to check his wounds, but as of right now he's 100% back in action.
RELATED: 1 of 2 suspects accused of shooting, injuring Newton Police chief facing additional charges
Sheriff Burby says he tried to de-escalate the situation by talking to the female suspect, Betty Richards, which he had crossed paths with before.
"I couldn't hardly understand her, she was rambling and I told her I was coming in if she wasn't coming out," Burby said.
Constable Havard tells 12News Richards and her boyfriend LC Gosey Jr. knew there was an eviction notice and have failed to appear in several court dates.
"The courts they have signed their order and also the property owner has rights," Havard said.
But both Havard and Burby say they are just glad everyone was able to go home alive
"Anytime one of our brothers or sisters get hurt in the line of duty it impacts all of us deeply because we know that could have been us," Burby said.
More deputies, Newton Police officers, and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers responded after the shooting. Jasper County deputies, Orange County deputies, officers from Kirbyville, and a game warden also responded to the scene.
Deputies used a loudspeaker to talk to the suspects as they tried to get them to surrender. At some point, the suspects asked to speak directly to the sheriff.
"They were asking for me and I made contact with them over the loudspeaker, and I went in and talked to them a while and was able to bring them out," Sheriff Burby said.
Richards and Gosey Jr. were arrested and will not be allowed back on the property.
Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting because an officer was shot.
Richards and Gosey Jr. were each previously charged with one count of attempted capital murder of a peace officer.
On Monday, Richards was hit with two more counts of attempted murder of a peace officer. Gosey still faces one count.
She is now being held in the Newton County Jail on a $3 million bond and Gosey is still being held on a $1 million bond.
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