Blue Alert: Here’s why phones across Texas buzzed early Friday morning for emergency
Phones across Texas sounded early Friday morning with an emergency alert. Here’s why you received a Blue Alert notification about 4:50 a.m. on Oct. 4.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect accused of shooting a police officer. Texas Blue Alerts are activated when authorities are looking for someone involved in the serious injury or killing of a law enforcement officer, according to the Department of Public Safety.
In this case, 33-year-old Seth Altman is wanted in connection to violence against an officer in the city of Memphis, Texas, DPS said.
Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant was shot multiple times, and the suspect is wanted on a charge of attempted capital murder, KVII-TV in Amarillo reported.
Altman was last seen last seen about 11 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of S. 4th St. in Memphis, Texas. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans and was traveling on foot, heading toward U.S. Highway 287. Altman is described as a white man, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 220 pounds, with red hair and blue eyes.
Memphis, Texas, is in the Panhandle, about 85 miles southeast of Amarillo and 250 miles northwest of Fort Worth. The city is home to about 2,000 people.
KVII reported that the shooting happened when Chief Plant and one of his officers went to the Memphis Housing Authority to try to arrest Altman in a burglary case. The police chief went to the back door of the apartment, while the other officer went to the front. Altman came out the back door, shot Plant and ran away, authorities said.
Plant was flown to University Medical Center in Lubbock, where he was reported to be stable.
The manhunt is ongoing Friday. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Hall County Sheriff’s Office at 806-259-2636. Local residents have been warned not to approach Altman and to call 911 if they see him.
What are the criteria for a Blue Alert?
These are the criteria DPS uses to decide when to send a Blue Alert:
- A law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured by a wanted suspect.
- The investigating law enforcement agency determines the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.
- If the suspect is in a vehicle, a detailed description of the vehicle, tag or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public.
This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 9:40 AM.
