Kevin O’Connor Kommentary July 24

More Information About Gunfire During A Chase That Ended In A Crash

The Brazos County sheriff’s office has released more information about a chase that involved gunfire that ended in a crash, the arrests of two men, and no injuries. No injuries were reported during the Tuesday afternoon incident. News release from the Brazos County sheriff’s office: On June 23, 2026, at approximately 1:48 p.m., Brazos County Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on Highway 6 between OSR and FM 2818. The vehicle initially stopped near Highway 6 and FM 2818, then fled, leading deputies on a pursuit north into Robertson County. The suspect turned around just north of OSR and headed back south into Brazos County, with deputies continuing the pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect fired shots at deputies at two separate locations. One round struck a patrol vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured as a result of the gunfire. The pursuit continued south on Highway 6 before the suspect exited onto Harvey Road westbound, briefly entering a closed business parking lot before heading back toward Highway 6. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers attempted multiple Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers and made contact with the suspect vehicle, but the driver continued fleeing. The suspect then drove through the Sam’s Club and Cinemark parking lots before reaching the northbound Highway 6 feeder road. The vehicle eventually stopped and was rendered inoperable, and the two occupants were taken into custody without further incident. At no time during the incident did any law enforcement officer discharge a firearm at the vehicle or its occupants. During the pursuit, the suspect caused damage to multiple properties, including striking a fence, and drove in an extremely reckless manner through several parking lots occupied by bystanders, creating a significant danger to the public. Subjects Arrested: • Jason Aitken — W/M, 43, Corsicana, Texas — Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Evading Arrest/Detention with a Vehicle • Sierra Bricker — W/F, 40, Teague, Texas — No Seatbelt (Passenger) Statement from Sheriff Wayne Dicky: “Our deputies put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our community safe, and today’s incident demonstrates just how dangerous that responsibility can be. I am grateful that no one was seriously injured during this incident and proud of how our local law enforcement agencies worked together to safely bring the suspects into custody.” — Sheriff Wayne Dicky, Brazos County Sheriff’s Office The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office thanks the following agencies for their assistance: • Bryan Police Department • College Station Police Department • Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol • Texas Rangers • Brazos County Constable’s Office Precinct 1 • Brazos County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 • Brazos County Constable’s Office Precinct 3 • Brazos County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 • Texas A&M University Police Department The professionalism and coordinated efforts of all responding agencies contributed to the safe resolution of this dangerous incident. Original story: No one was hit by gunfire during a chase Tuesday afternoon (June 23) that ended in a crash in the Big 6 construction zone in College Station. A post on the Brazos County sheriff’s office Facebook page says two suspects are in custody. The post says the pursuit began after a deputy initiated a traffic stop at an undisclosed location. The chase ended in the area of the northbound frontage road in front of Bubba’s 33 and Cinemark movie theater. The northbound frontage road was closed between Harvey and University and the northbound freeway exit ramp at University was also closed. The Bryan police department has posted on its social media, closing the freeway southbound from the north Harvey Mitchell/FM 2818 exit to Highway 21 to assist with the sheriff’s department investigation. A WTAW listener text said they were driving east on Harvey Road in front of the former Anchor Bar when they saw a westbound black car being pursued by 15 to 20 law enforcement vehicles. Then the car made a U-turn over the curb and headed towards the freeway. The listener drove to the area where the pursuit ended and estimated seeing 25 to 30 law enforcement vehicles. The sheriff’s office Facebook post says there are multiple locations associated with this incident where damage was caused either by the suspect vehicle or by gunfire. Local law enforcement agencies continue to investigate these scenes and assess the extent of the damage.

Brazos County’s County Judge Explains The Reason For A More Than 50 Member Committee

A committee appointed at the last Brazos County commission meeting (June 9) has more than 50 people. After county judge Duane Peters spent more than five minutes reading the names, the initial reaction from commissioner Fred Brown was that this committee, to consider salary appeals by elected officials, was “going to be a train wreck” because there are so many members. County judge Duane Peters explained this committee is composed of members of the Brazos County grand jury. Only nine members gather for an individual appeal. Peters says state law controls the committee’s action, saying if all nine members support the appeal it is automatically approved. If eight members support the appeal, commissioners make the final decision. If seven or fewer members support the appeal, the appeal is denied. After the explanation, the list of committee members was unanimously approved. Click below to hear comments from Duane Peters and Fred Brown at the June 9, 2026 Brazos County commission meeting. Listen to “Brazos County's county judge explains the reason for a more than 50 member committee” on Spreaker.

College Station ISD School Board Adopts A Budget For The 2026-27 School Year

College Station ISD school board members adopt a budget for the 2026-27 school year which requires taking more than $6 six million dollars out of savings and decreases the property tax rate by almost one cent. CSISD chief financial officer Healther Wilson told board members the budget reflects adding $4.5 million for pay raises and adding employees at the expanded career and technical education center. Wilson is estimating fewer students in CSISD next year will result in a loss of $2 million in state funding. Wilson also said 60 percent of CSISD’s net taxable value was in the appeal process. As of the June 17th board meeting, Wilson said successful appeals lowered CSISD’s total valuation by $588 million dollars. That lowered Wilson’s estimation of valuation growth from seven to 3.9 percent. Not impacted by property taxes is a separate fund controls CSISD’s food service operations. The board approved Wilson’s recommendation to increase student school lunch prices for the first time since 2019. Wilson said the 25 cent increase was due to the end of temporary federal grant money. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials shown at the June 16, 2026 College Station ISD school board meeting. Click below to hear some of Heather Wilson’s comments at the June 16, 2026 College Station ISD school board meeting. Listen to “College Station ISD school board approves the budget for the 2026-27 school year” on Spreaker.