Texas sheriff’s deputy dies after found with head injuries

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A Texas sheriff’s sergeant who didn’t return from a break during his shift at the county jail was found in his car with severe head injuries and rushed to a hospital, where he died, authorities said.

The deputies who found Sgt. Keith Shepherd late Friday bleeding in his own car, which was in the parking lot of the Tarrant County jail in downtown Fort Worth, reported that he had been shot. But Fort Worth police, who are leading the investigation, said there’s no evidence that a shooting occurred and that they are awaiting the medical examiner’s determination of what caused Shepherd’s injuries and death.

“We’ve just got to follow the facts until we understand what happened,” said Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, who added that there’s no apparent ongoing threat to the public.

“We’re going to take it one piece at a time and see if we can find the answers,” he said.