Months after a San Marcos police officer was shot and killed while out serving a warrant, a Hays County grand jury has issued an indictment against the suspect in his death.
The suspect, Stewart Thomas Mettz, was indicted Feb. 15 for capital murder in the shooting death of Officer Ken Copeland, according to a statement from the county.
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Fifty-eight-year-old Copeland was wearing a protective vest while serving warrant in the El Camino Real subdivision Dec. 4, the city of San Marcos said. It was described as an ambush-style shooting. Copeland, who was the first San Marcos officer to be killed in the line of duty, was taken to Central Texas Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds.
In addition to the capital murder indictment, the grand jury also returned an indictment for injury to an elderly person and retaliation, which was allegedly committed on Nov. 25, 2017.
Capital murder is punishable by death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"The indictment is just the first step in this process," said Wes Mau, Hays County Criminal District Attorney in a statement. "While we at the DA’s office have every intention of seeing that justice is done for Ken Copeland, his family and friends, and the law enforcement community here in San Marcos and Hays County, there remains a long way to go. To say any more than that at this time would be inappropriate.”
