The victim of a fatal shooting in Sweetwater Sunday morning has been identified.
Brandon Heath Abeita, 39, of Sweetwater, lost his life after an altercation on the 1100 block of Fowler Street around 11:15 a.m., according to Sweetwater Police Chief Brian Frieda.
Tanner Engle was booked into the Nolan County Jail on an Aggravated Assault charge related to the shooting, according to Chief Frieda who says the charge could be upgraded depending on what the investigation reveals.
Officials on scene of the shooting report Engle was trying to get Abeita in a vehicle, and once that was accomplished, the vehicle swerved and crashed into a mailbox with both men inside.
Shots were fired at some point after the Abeita got in the vehicle, though Frieda says it’s currently unclear if he was fatally wounded while he was in the vehicle or as soon as he got out.
It’s also unclear how many shots were fired during the incident. Abeita was transported to the Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation is ongoing. Abeita’s body has been sent to Lubbock where a preliminary autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
(Information from BigCountryHomepage.com)
