Man charged with murder in fatal shooting of Texas trooper

[November 27, 2017]  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A man accused of shooting and killing a Texas state trooper during a traffic stop on Thanksgiving was charged with capital murder, which can bring the death penalty, jail records posted on Friday showed.

Dabrett Black, 32, is suspected of killing Trooper Damon Allen on Thursday in Fairfield, about 90 miles (145 km) south of Dallas, Lieutenant Lonny Haschel, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman, said in a statement.

Allen had stopped the suspect for a traffic violation and when he returned to his patrol car, the suspect fired multiple times with a rifle at Allen, who died at the scene, Haschel said.

"The tragic death of Trooper Damon Allen is a sad and sobering reminder of the risks our men and women in uniform take every day," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Friday as he ordered Texas flags at DPS facilities to be lowered to half-staff.

Allen, 41, was a husband and father of three who joined the department in 2002, the department said.

Black, 32, was arrested in Waller County, about 50 miles northwest of Houston, after a brief shootout, local law enforcement said.

Dabrett Black of Mt. Sylvan, Texas is pictured in this handout booking photo obtained by Reuters November 24, 2017. Brazos County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS

He is being held in a county jail and there was no lawyer listed for him on booking records. Police have not released a motive for the killing.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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