Duty Death: Christopher Kelley - [Hutto]
End of Service: 24/06/2015
By Philip Jankowski and Claire Osborn
Austin American-Statesman
HUTTO, Texas — The man charged with killing Hutto police Sgt. Chris Kelley confessed to police that he used Kelley’s police car to attempt to flee from arrest, running over Kelley and killing him, according to an arrest affidavit.
Arrest documents filed Thursday in Williamson County charged Colby Ray Williamson, 26, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer.
The documents paint a fuller picture of the Wednesday morning traffic stop that became a deadly incident marking the first-ever death of a Hutto police officer while in the line of duty.
It began when Hutto police attempted to pull over Williamson near Herrera Trail about 10 a.m. It was unclear why police initiated the stop, however Williamson fled from officers in a Mitsubishi Eclipse before crashing into a fire hydrant, according to police.
Williamson then ran away and officers continued their pursuit to a home on Wren Cove, where Kelley, 37, found him, the affidavit said.
Sgt. Conor Mitchell and Sgt. Paul Leal were in the same patrol vehicle headed to Kelley’s location when Mitchell said he saw Kelley struggling with Williamson in the front driver’s seat of Kelley’s patrol vehicle, the affidavit said.
Both officers saw Kelley’s patrol vehicle moving in reverse with the driver’s side door open, and witnessed Kelley fall from the open door, watching as the vehicle ran over his body, the affidavit said.
Leal provided emergency aid to Kelley while Mitchell continued to chase Williamson, the affidavit said.
The vehicle pursuit continued down Decker Drive to the intersection with Creek Lodge Drive, where Williamson jumped out of the patrol vehicle and ran, the affidavit said. Mitchell followed in his car and eventually pursued on foot and apprehended Williamson, the affidavit said.
At the Williamson County Jail, Williamson agreed to waive his rights and spoke with an investigator with the Texas Rangers, the affidavit said. He told the investigator that he knew Kelley was a police officer even though he was in plainclothes, according to police and the affidavit.
Kelley told Williamson that he was going to detain him and attempted to put handcuffs on Williamson when Williamson used his body to throw Kelley off balance, the affidavit said.
Williamson ran to Kelley’s patrol vehicle and got into the driver’s seat, according to the affidavit, which says Kelley followed and attempted to stop him from driving off. Williamson put the car into reverse as Kelley grabbed the steering wheel and stepped on the brakes, the affidavit said. Kelley then fell down as Williamson accelerated in reverse, it said.
When reached by phone Wednesday, Williamson’s mother, Patricia L. Cleveland, said the family had no comment.
“We have nothing to say to y’all whatsoever,” Cleveland said.
Copyright 2015 Austin American-Statesman, Texas