ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas - The escaped inmate with ties to Central Texas has died in a shootout with authorities Tuesday night.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, as officers continued to search within a perimeter that was set up in Atascosa County, officers found the suspect at around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. DPS said that after "gunfire was exchanged," Jake Russell Childers died at the scene.
According to authorities, Childers escaped Dec. 24 while being transported to the jail from the hospital in George West, Texas, which is located between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. At the time of his escape, Childers was wearing a belly chain and leg shackles.
Live Oak County Sheriff Larry Busby told KENS 5's sister station in Austin, KVUE-TV, that Childers got out from the window of the car.
“It turns out he had managed to get the window open," Busby said. "And the reason for that is we just got the car out of the body shop and apparently they had deactivated the window locks whenever they were working on it. The officer… didn’t think to check that because the windows are always locked.”
Childers was believed to have broken the shackles since escaping and reportedly stole a truck and guns from a George West home.
On Monday afternoon, Childers was spotted near FM 791 in Atascosa County, a representative for the DPS told KVUE. Authorities also found the stolen truck in the same area that day.
DPS then set up a perimeter in Atascosa County.
Border Patrol agents, George West police and Live Oak County sheriff's deputies were working with DPS to search for Childers.
As KENS 5 reported, three helicopters, 65 officers from multiple agencies and K9s were searching for him.
According to investigators, Childers was arrested in November in Bastrop County when he was illegally fishing on private property. A Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden tried to detain him before Childers assaulted him and left him with minor injuries.
Authorities said his sister helped him elude authorities for two days before he was arrested in a Wal Mart parking lot in Austin.
Childers had ties to Live Oak County, Bastrop County and Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
DPS said the investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Texas Rangers.
