LUBBOCK, Texas — A code enforcement employee was accused of pulling a gun during an altercation with a homeowner in the 4700 block of 45th Street, a report from the Lubbock Police Department said.
The police report stated officers were called at 3:10 p.m. on November 15. According to the report, the homeowner told officers he and a witness were shoveling mulch from the alley into a trash can so he could put it in his backyard.
The homeowner told police a code enforcement employee arrived and said he needed to get through the alleyway but couldn’t due to the mulch, the report stated. The man said he told the employee to drive through it, and he did. Another code enforcement worker then showed up in a city vehicle, the report stated.
According to the report, the homeowner said the second employee told him they could not shovel mulch from the alley, and the homeowner asked what law prevented him from doing so. The report stated the homeowner told police the employee “became irate and began cursing and arguing with [the homeowner] in the alleyway.”
The report said the homeowner told police the employee threatened to “kick [his] a**.” The homeowner also told police he then invited the employee to his backyard so they could “engage in a fist fight,” the police report stated.
“[The homeowner] advised that is when [the employee] stepped back and pulled a firearm from his waistband and pointed the firearm in [his] direction,” the police report said. The homeowner told police he “started to deescalate the situation” until both employees left and the homeowner called police.
A witness told the officer he saw the employee point the gun at the homeowner, and “immediately” started to record a video on his phone. The report said the officer watched the video and could hear the witness cursing at the employee for pulling a gun, but it did not show anything further.
The officer spoke with the employee over the phone, who said he was called to the scene to help after the homeowner became “argumentative” with the first worker. The police report stated the employee said he did not point the gun at the homeowner or witness. According to the report, the code enforcement worker said he pulled the gun and held it at his side because he “felt threatened” by the homeowner and “feared for his life.”
The officer documented in the report, “Through my investigation, I believe [the employee] intentionally and knowingly displayed a firearm in the direction of [homeowner], placing [him] in fear of serious bodily injury or death.”
LPD said no arrests have been made. EverythingLubbock.com reached out to the City of Lubbock for a statement. If the invitation is accepted, an update will be provided.
