TEXAS Game Warden Killed in Shootout with Poacher

The senseless killing of a lawman is one of those things I’ll never understand. The killing of a game warden over a poaching case seems to me be even more senseless. But that seems to be what happened this past weekend in Texas when Warden Justin Hurst was involved in a car chase that ended in a shootout where he sustained fatal wounds.
Warden Hurst was backing up a fellow Warden who observed the suspect illegally hunting late Friday Night early Saturday morning and was fleeing from that warden. A lengthy chase ensued and ended with a heavy exchange of gunfire between the suspect, wardens and sheriff deputies.

James Garrett Freeman, of Lissie, is accused of killing Justin Hurst, 34, during a shootout Saturday when officers were trying to arrest him as an illegal-hunting suspect.
Hurst, a graduate of Conroe High School and Texas A&M University, was “passionate about the outdoors and all of God’s creations,” said his wife, Amanda Wilcox Hurst.
Hurst, who leaves behind 4-month-old son, Kyle, will be cremated; his ashes will be spread across the bay in Palacios, the couple’s favorite place.
“He was an incredible, incredible man,” she said. “He meant a lot to a lot of people. He was great at everything he did. He never went halfway with anything.” He even folded clothes, she said, laughing.
She said every morning Hurst brought her coffee and they sat together on the porch at their El Campo home.
And when coming home from a job he loved “so much,” he always “came through the door and said, ‘Where’s my baby?’ ”
Joyce McCormick, Hurst’s minister at First United Methodist Church of El Campo said he was a man of “deep faith and the highest integrity who didn’t talk so much about his faith, but he lived it.”

In a unfortunate twist of fate Warden Hurst was killed on his 34th birthday. Those wishing to help out the family can contact the 100 Club an organization dedicated to helping Texas Lawmen killed in the line of duty.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hurst Family at this extremely difficult time.

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