Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The suspect in the shooting of an Eastland County Sheriff’s Deputy is being held in the Stephens County Jail on charges of Capital Murder of a Peace Officer.

According to the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office’s online jail inmate list, Cody Douglas Pritchard, age 42, was brought to the local jail late last night, Friday, July 21, after he was arrested in Eastland County in connection with the shooting death of Eastland County Deputy David Bosecker.

Eastland County Deputy David Bosecker

Stephens County Sheriff Kevin Roach said the Eastland County sheriff and county judge contacted him last night and asked if the suspect could be housed in the Stephens County Jail. Roach said officials were going to decide this morning if Pritchard would be arraigned by Stephens County Justice of the Peace Steve Spoon or by the Eastland County JP.

“I don’t know who will actually do the arraignment, but the charges will be filed through Eastland County since that’s the county where the offense is alleged to have been committed,” Roach said. “It’s not really much different than a warrant arrest. When someone gets a warrant issued out of one county and gets arrested in another, a magistrate can do the arraignment because all they’re basically doing is formally telling them what they’re charged with and what their rights are, setting a bond or denying bond, whatever is going to happen in this case. But I’m not sure if Judge Spoon will do the arraignment or if an Eastland County magistrate will do it.”

As of this morning, July 22, Pritchard was being held by himself in a holding cell in the Stephens County Jail, Roach said.

According to the Eastland County Today Facebook page, at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday, July 21, deputies with the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic fight in progress at a residence on U.S. Highway 183 between Cisco and Rising Star. “Deputy David Bosecker arrived on scene first and immediately began receiving gunfire from the suspect. Deputy Bosecker was struck and fatally wounded,” the newspaper reported. “Other units arriving were able to apprehend the suspect and no one else was injured. The suspect was taken to Stephens County Jail where he was charged with Capitol Murder. This is an active investigation being led by the Texas Rangers.”

Bosecker had been in law enforcement for over 21 years and was a master peace officer, according to the newspaper. He began his law enforcement career in Wise County as a deputy before going to work for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Later, he become a game warden for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and then a police officer for the Comanche Police Department. He joined the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 2021 and also worked part-time for Cisco Police Department as a marine enforcement officer.

The Eastland County Sheriff’s Office also suffered the loss of a deputy last year, when Sgt. Barbara Fenley died on March 17, 2022, while checking on residents during the Eastland Complex fire.

(Photo of Cody Douglas Pritchard courtesy of Stephens County Sheriff’s Office)