By Scott Akanewich, Liberty Hill Independent
UPDATED: 3:30pm Jan. 19, 2023
Liberty Hill Police reported this afternoon that Officer Esteban Gomez-Sanchez was involved in the fatal shooting Wednesday afternoon of Jackson Lieber, 21, who was suspected of trespassing at a residence in the 700 block of RR 1869.
The officer, who was hired in December 2020, was not injured in the incident. He was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation that will be conducted by Texas Rangers with assistance from Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Gomez is the K9 officer for LHPD.
It is the first officer-involved shooting in the history of LHPD.
ORIGINAL POSTING: 8:51pm Jan. 18, 2023
At approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, a Liberty Hill Police Department officer responded to a trespassing call at a residence on RR 1869 and fatally shot a man.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety Media and Communications Officer Deon Cockrell, LHPD was the first to arrive after the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department initially received a call about a male subject trespassing after leaving the scene of a single-car wreck. The residence is outside the Liberty Hill city limits.
“It was a call to the county sheriff’s office involving trespassing and an unwanted person on a property in Liberty Hill,” said Cockrell. “An (LHPD) police officer that responded to that scene got there first and there was an altercation between the officer and the subject that was on the property trespassing – there was an officer-involved shooting – the officer is okay and the suspect is deceased.”
Cockrell added the suspect entered the property after the crash, which was what the incident stemmed from.
“I think there was a crash earlier – that’s what led to the subject that was in the crash further down the road from the residence wandering onto that residence for some reason – we don’t know – there was an altercation between the residents and the subject. The call was made from the sheriff’s office, and the PD responded with the sheriff’s office. (LHPD) got here first and that’s when there was an altercation between the officer and the subject.”
It’s not apparent what caused the crash, said Cockrell.
“I don’t know if there’s anything involved that made him go off the road or not,” he said. “But, the subject made it to that location, and that’s when the altercation happened.”
Cockrell said the reason for the confrontation at the residence is unknown at this time.
“We don’t know what the reason was for the altercation or anything,” he said. “The call just came that the subject was on the property trespassing and unwanted, and we know there was a crash further down the road, which was why he walked there.”
The name of the officer involved was not released Wednesday night, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.