Child sex abuse suspect who shot Tarrant deputy in standoff identified in court records
The armed suspect who died Wednesday during a SWAT standoff after authorities said he shot a Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy has been identified as a 41-year-old Fort Worth man.
Court records name the suspect as Bo William Aurell. He hasn’t been publicly identified yet by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Aurell opened fire and engaged in a close-combat gunfight with deputies when they tried to execute three felony arrest warrants, authorities said. Deputy Todd Tipton suffered a grazing wound to the back of the head, one wound to an arm and one to his lower back. He was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital and was released within hours.
Aurell barricaded himself inside his duplex in the 2900 block of Elinor Street, where the deputies had tried to serve the arrest warrants. Law enforcement officials tried to negotiate with Aurell, but Fort Worth SWAT officers eventually breached the home after the suspect falsely claimed he was holding hostages, according to Police Chief Neil Noakes.
The SWAT team officers exchanged gunfire with Aurell inside the home, police said. Aurell was critically injured and died a short time later. Police said Wednesday afternoon that they couldn’t say whether the suspect was killed by officers or by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Aurell was arrested in December 2022 and January 2023 on charges of sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, unlawful restraint of a child and violation of child labor laws, according to court records. He was released from the Tarrant County Jail on bond and later rejected a plea deal from prosecutors offering him 15 years in prison.
Court documents show Aurell failed to appear for a scheduled court date July 24 and failed to provide a urine sample, both in violation of his bond conditions. New felony warrants were issued for his arrest, which Tipton and other Tarrant County deputies attempted to serve at his residence Wednesday.
The cases against Aurell were dismissed Friday due to his death.
Aurell’s wife, April Aurell, also faces one charge of unlawful restraint of a child, according to court records. Her case was set for a hearing on the pre-trial docket on Aug. 14, but April Aurell and her attorneys asked the court for a delay Friday.
April Aurell’s motion for a continuance mentions that her “co-defendant shot at law enforcement” and was killed in the altercation.
“Defendant is in the process of making funeral arrangements and handling other aspects of this incident,” the document states.
Aurell and his wife had a family business — Bo’s BBQ and Firewood — according to court documents. In January 2023, Aurell filed a motion, which was approved, to amend his bond conditions so he could see his wife and they could continue to work in the business together.
Next-door neighbor Martin Gomez told KTVT-TV that Aurell’s wife had recently left their home and he thought the man had started “acting weird.” Aurell had frequently talked about how he hated police, Gomez told KTVT.
A sign on the front door of Aurell’s side of the duplex features two crossed pistols and the words, “We don’t call 911.”
Tipton is a 13-year veteran deputy assigned to a sheriff’s office unit whose members search for fugitives and execute arrest warrants.
Before the deputy was released from the hospital, Sheriff Bill Waybourn said: “He’s alert. He’s conscious. He’s talking. He’s seeing his family, and we’re pretty happy about that.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2024 at 12:17 PM.
