Army veteran Jeremy Taylor Culp, 32, was shot and killed Tuesday by police in Orange, Texas, after leading authorities on a high-speed chase. (Claybar Funeral Home/Facebook)
AUSTIN, Texas — An Army veteran was shot and killed Tuesday by local police in Orange County after leading authorities on a high-speed chase through two towns, crashing in front of a school and pointing a semiautomatic weapon at officers.
Jeremy Taylor Culp, 32, died at the scene where more than 25 rounds were heard fired in roughly eight seconds, according to a video of the incident. Culp served in the Army from August 2010 to January 2013, the service said. He deployed to Afghanistan from February to August 2012 and left at the rank of private.
Though police offered few details about what triggered the incident, the veteran’s family said Culp suffered a traumatic brain injury during a military exercise and had post-traumatic stress disorder, local TV news station Fox 4 reported. However, he’d been doing well for the past eight years, his family told the TV station.
The incident began Tuesday at about 9 a.m. in Bridge City, a small town in southeast Texas near the Louisiana state line. Police received calls that someone was firing shots at multiple homes on the street where Culp owns a home, according to public property records and law enforcement.
Culp fled the area in white Dodge Ram truck and struck a police officer on a motorcycle who was escorting a wide-load truck down State Highway 73, Sgt. Shana Clark with Texas Department of Public Safety said Tuesday during a news conference held shortly after the shooting. The officer who was hit suffered a severe leg injury.
Police chased Culp as he sped northeast toward Orange. Culp eventually crashed his truck into a utility pole just outside of West Orange-Stark Middle School, Clark said. The school is about 9 miles from where the initial shots were fired in Bridge City.
In the video of the incident, a school bus can be seen driving through an intersection as several officers surround the truck with their guns drawn.
Culp, who is not visible in the video, got out of the truck with a semiautomatic rifle. Police shouted commands to Culp, which he initially followed, Clark said. He set the gun on the ground and began to lie flat.
However, as police began to approach Culp, he grabbed the gun again and pointed it at officers.
Police fired dozens of rounds, killing the veteran. One police officer was injured in the leg during the shooting, but Clark said Tuesday that officials were uncertain what caused the injury.
“Law enforcement performed their duties and saved lives,” she said.
Agencies involved in the shooting included the Texas Department of Public Safety, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orange Police Department, Orange County Constable’s Office and the West Orange Police Department.
State police, who are handling the investigation, declined to say how many rounds were fired.
Culp’s family said they are grateful no officers were seriously injured but do have questions about the shooting, Fox 4 reported.
An obituary for Culp said he served in the 82nd Airborne Division. The awards listed on his official service record include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact their local law enforcement office or Texas state police.
