Texas sheriff: Deputy's killer looked for lawman

SAN ANTONIO — The killer of a Texas sheriff's deputy apparently acted on the "spur of the moment" and was simply looking to take down a law enforcement officer, his sheriff said Tuesday.
Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz said the death of Sgt. Kenneth Vann, 48, was being investigated as an apparently random act of violence against a peace officer.
Every theory was being considered in the deputy's death at a red light at a San Antonio intersection early Saturday, including that it could have been a Mexican drug cartel hit, Ortiz said. However, those responsible apparently did not target Vann individually but as a target of opportunity, Ortiz told the San Antonio Express-News.
"We know that nobody followed the officer. We have videos from places that he had been, so I think they just drove up on him," he said.
Ortiz said he does not believe the general public has anything to fear.
A multi-agency task force was rounding up people with outstanding warrants for questioning, he said.
"We are working day and night," he told the newspaper. "But unfortunately, we don't have any results to report as of today. It is very, very frustrating."
A statement issued by David Kilcrease, president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association of Bexar County, said the killing was comparable to a Mexican drug cartel hit in that it showed a "loss of respect within the criminal element, which had refrained from direct confrontations with law enforcement. We cannot allow this type of violence to enter our city, our county or our state."
A statement issued by the sheriff's office on Tuesday described the suspect vehicle as a royal blue crew-cab Ford F-150 pickup truck, model year 2009 or later.
Meanwhile, the reward fund has swelled to $127,000 for information leading to those responsible for Vann's death. Ortiz says the fund got a boost from donations of $50,000 by the FBI and $25,000 by San Antonio lawyer Wayne Wright.
Van was a 25-year veteran of law enforcement and was married to fellow Sheriff's Sgt. Yvonne Vann. He also was a Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm.
His funeral is scheduled for Friday.
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Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com