Statewide Hunt Underway For Suspected Trooper Killer
KELLYVILLE, Texas (AP) – A suspect being sought in the shooting death of a state trooper is an ex-law enforcement officer in East Texas.
A statewide search is underway for Brandon Wayne Robertson, 37, of Tyler. Robertson served as a jailer and reserve officer with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department in 1996.
A DPS statement describes Robertson as white with green eyes and red hair, 6 feet, 2 inches and weighing 250 pounds. Authorities are looking for a 1997 blue Dodge Intrepid with Texas license 039-LCG.
According to police, Robertson shot and killed James Scott Burns, 39, at a traffic stop just west of Kellyville in Marion County. That is about 135 miles east of Dallas. A passer-by saw the wounded man and used Burns’ radio to report that he had been shot.
Before Tuesday, 82 DPS troopers had died in the line of duty. The last death came on March 14, 2007, when the patrol car of Trooper Todd Dylan Holmes was struck broadside by an 18-wheeler as he attempted to cross the highway to pursue a vehicle.
