CONVENIENCE STORE. OUR 12NEWS INVESTIGATES TEAM, HAS CONFIRMED THIS ISN'T THE
FIRST TIME THE MAN HAS BEEN IN
TROUBLE FOR ATTACKING AN
OFFICER.
BRADLEY PRUITT ACTUALLY DID 2
YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR A SIMILAR
CRIME IN KENTUCKY. IN 20-15,
HE WAS INDICTED ON NUMEROUS
CHARGES. INCLUDING 3RD
DEGREE ASSAULT OF A PEACE
OFFICER, RESISTING ARREST AND
EVADING POLICE.
AT THE TIME OF YESTERDAY'S
ATTACK, PRUITT WAS WANTED BY THE
D-A IN LAS CRUCES, NEE MEXICO ON
GUN CHARGES. BECAUSE OF THE
PREVIOUS OUT-OF- STATE
CHARGES... PRUITT IS BEING HELD
AT THE HARDIN COUNTY JAIL
WITHOUT BOND.
TONIGHT WE ALSO HAVE A CLEARER
PICTURE OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST
NIGHT AT THE J AND R MARKET. WE
WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE TO WALK
YOU THROUGH THAT SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS.
OFFICER WILLIAM MCKEON JR WAS
RESPONDING TO A CALL AT THE
STORE , ABOUT A MAN HARASSING
CUSTOMERS. POLICE SAY THAT
MAN WAS PRUITT.
HE WAS REFUSING TO LEAVE THE
STORE, WHILE HOLDING A SIGN THAT
READ "HELP ME." ACCORDING TO
SHERIFF MARK DAVIS WHEN OFFICER
MCKEON ARRIVED, PRUITT BEGAN
BEATING HIM. PRUITT THEN STOLE
THE OFFICER'S PATROL CAR AND
DROVE ABOUT 7 MILES DOWN HIGHWAY
3-26. HE DITCCED THE UNIT AND
TOOK OFF ON FOOT. OFFICERS
SPENT TEN HOURS LOOKING FOR HIM.
THE
THE SHERIFF SAYS TIPS ULTIMATELY LED TO HIS CAPTURE. "BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE CITIZENS
FOR BEING ABLE TO CALL US AND
SAY HEY I SAW HIM AT A LOCATION
OF THIS ADDRESS. THAT HAS HELPED
US GO BACK AND KIND OF ESTABLISH
A TIMELINE FOR THE EVENTS
LEADING UP TO LAST NIGHT."
AGENCIES LIKE THE JEFFERSON
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
BEAUMONT P-D AND SILSBEE POLICE
JOINED IN THE
MASSIVE
MASSIVE MANHUNT. RACHEL - " MR. BILL IS SO LOVING. HE COMES IN HERE TO GET
HIS COFFEE, HIS TEXAS PECANS AND
HIS BOTTLE OF WATER."
MR BILL. THAT'S HOW PEOPLE
IN SOUR LAKE KNOW OFFICER
WILLIAM MCKEON. TONIGHT
THEY'RE RALLYING AROUND HIM. HE
REMAINS IN I- C-U --- IN STABLE
CONDITION. HIS FAMILY TOOK
TO FACEBOOK TO SAY HE REMAINS
INTUBATED AND IS ON A
VENTILATOR. BUT THEY SAY HE WAS
ABLE TO RAISE HIS HAND TODAY, AT
THE SOUND OF THEIR VOICE.
OFFICER MCKEON HAD ONLY WORKED
FOR THE SOUR LAKE POLICE
DEPARTMENT FOR FOUR YEARS.
BEFORE THAT HE WORKED AS A
DEPUTY FOR ORANGE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE. WAY BACK IN
THE EARLY 80'S, HE BRIEFLY
WORKED FOR PORT ARTHUR P-D.
THE ATTACK HAS LEFT SOUR LAKE
"HURTING."
12NEWS REPORTER WILLIAM
BLANCHETTE TALKED TO THE SOUR
LAKE MAYOR THIS EVENING.
WILLIAM IS HERE WITH HOW THE
CITY IS HANDLING THIS ATTACK.
THINGS ARE MUCH CALMER THAN
THEY WERE 24 HOURS AGO HERE AT
THE J AND R MARKET IN SOUR LAKE.
LAST NIGHT'S ATTACK HAS BROUGHT
THE CITY CLOSER. THE MAYOR SAYS,
HE'S NEVER EXPERIENCED SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
:19 - :25 1:10 - 1:14
MAYOR "IT WAS A BRUTAL BEATING"
SOUR LAKE MAYOR BRUCE ROBINSON
SAYS HE'S STILL IN DIS-BELIEF
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO OFFICER
BILL MCKEON MONDAY NIGHT MAYOR
ROBINSON VISITED OFFICER MCKEON
IN THE HOSPITAL, AND SAYS THE
ATTACK LEFT HIS FACE ALMOST
UNRECOGNIZABLE. MAYOR "I GOT TO
SEE HIM IN THE UNIT HE WAS IN
AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT HE GOT
SHOT IN THE HEAA, HE LOOKED THAT
BAD" HE BELIEVES IT'S A MIRACLE
NO ONE ELSE AT THE STORE WAS
HURT. MAYOR "I GOT MIXED
EMOTIONS, I HATE THAT HE GOT THE
UNIT BUT I WOULD RATHER HIM GOT
THE UNIT AND DROVE OFF THEN END
OF KILLING SOMEBODY THERE."
AFTER OFFICER MCKEON WAS AIR
LIFTED TO SAINT ELIZABETH IN
BEAUMONT, MAYOR ROBINSON RUSHED
TO THE HOSPITAL TO SHOW HIS
SUPPORT. MAYOR "I FELT LIKE
SOMEONE NEEDED TO REPRESENT THE
CITY AND BE THERE FOR HIM WITH
THIS BAD THING AND I THINK I GOT
OUT OF THERE ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK
OFFICER MCKEON SERVED FOUR YEARS
WITH THE SOUR LAKE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND BEFORE THAT
WORKED AS A DEPUTY FOR THE
ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE.
APRIL "IT'S TERRIBLE" APRIL
ARENA SAYS OFFICER MCKEON WAS
KNOWN BY MANY IN THE COMMUNITY
AS KIND AND EASY GOING. MANY
CALLED HIM MISTER BILL. WHILE ON
PATROL, ARENA SAYS HE WOULD
FREQUENTLY STOP BY HER HOME TO
SEE HOW SHE WAS DOING APRIL
"BILL'S A GOOD GUY AND I HATE
TO HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO HIM"
NAT SOUND APRIL "I'VE KNOWN HIM
EVERY SINCE HE HAD BEEN HERE,
REALLY GOOD GUY" APRIL "HE'S
EASY GOING, JUST A GOOD PERSON
ALL AROUND." MAYOR ROBINSON SAYS
ALL THE CITY CAN DO NOW IS SHOW
THE FAMILY HOW MUCH THEY CARE.
APRIL: "THEY KNOW HOW MUCH WE
CARE ABOUT THEM. THEY HAVE MY
NUMBER, THEY CAN CALL ME ANYTIME
OF DAY"
THERE IS AN ACCOUNT SET UP
FOR
FOR OFFICER MCKEON AT ANY
COMPASS
COMPASS BANK. I WAS TOLD BY A FRIEND, OFFICER MCKEON'MEDICAL BILLS HAVE ALREADY BEEN COVERED.
DONATIONS TO THE ACCOUNT WILL GO
TO HIS WIFE. IN SOUR LAKE,
WILLIAM BLANCHETTE 12 NEWS.