A Mesquite Police officer is on administrative leave after being accused of providing a false statement and misusing his police laptop in a shooting investigation involving his father and an alleged stalker.
Wylie Police issued two arrest warrants for 39-year-old Brian Hill early in July.
Meanwhile the accused stalker, 43-year-old Jason Benjamin, was arrested on July 8 for stalking.
An arrest affidavit sheds light on the detailed back story that led up to the shooting in June.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
The Back Story
According to a probable cause affidavit, Mesquite Police Officer Brian Hill, 39, told Wylie Police that his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, Jason Benjamin, was stalking and harassing them.
Hill told officers he made a report and recorded video of the ex-boyfriend setting the officer's personal motorcycle on fire weeks ago in Dallas at his girlfriend's residence.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The court document goes on to explain how, on June 25, Hill's girlfriend told him the ex-boyfriend followed her to a relative's apartment in Garland, where he tried to rush through the gate. Hill decided to drive by the apartments in his marked Mesquite Police car and saw the ex in a white Chevy Malibu, who then drove off.
Moments later, Hill said he let his K-9 out for a bathroom break when he saw the Chevy Malibu drive towards him and leave the area.
According to the document, he decided to follow the car and saw it was headed toward Wylie. The officer told police he knew the ex-boyfriend lived in Mesquite and was concerned he must know where he lived, so Hill then called Wylie Police. Hill told Wylie officers someone was following them and spoke with Benjamin.
The Shooting
Wylie Police said on June 25th, they spoke to Benjamin, the driver of the white Chevy Malibu around 2:00 a.m., who had dogs inside the car.
The affidavit goes on to state the man, "could not explain why he was in Wylie and denied any issues with any Mesquite officers."
“We responded, determined there was no offense involving that person which is why we released him. The shots were fired, probably not even 5 minutes later," said Ofc. Alexandra Waters, a spokesperson for the Wylie Police Department,
Around 2:35 a.m., officers responded to the 100 block of S. Ballard Ave to a shooting.
They found the white Chevy Malibu parked in the middle of the street with a bullet hole in the rear driver's side door, disabling the car, according to the probable cause affidavit. Benjamin was not injured but 'was pacing back and forth, visibly upset,' according to the document.
Police said while the victim was uncooperative, Benjamin described seeing a man in a white Audi SUV pull up beside him and fire a shot.
While Benjamin was speaking with officers, he saw Hill's patrol car drive by, and the victim yelled, 'I got you bi**h,' according to the affidavit.
Hill was ruled out as the suspected shooter because he was still with officers at the time of the shooting.
During their investigation, Waters said a nearby surveillance cameras captured the shooting and led them to the suspected shooter, 65-year-old Darvin Hill, who was arrested on July 11.
He was charged with deadly conduct-discharge a firearm, and was taken into custody without any issues.
Suspected Shooter is the Officer's Father
Wylie police said initially, Officer Hill denied knowing anyone suspected of being involved in the shooting, but would later find out Hill's father was the accused gunman.
"One of the most important takeaways is that regardless of who is involved, regardless of who the suspect is, regardless of who the victim is, we are committed to doing a thorough investigation and then following those facts wherever they may lead us," said Waters.
They learned through cell phone records that Hill spoke with his father before and after the shooting, according to court documents.
He also admitted to using his police department laptop to give his father information about the car Benjamin was driving.
"We have access to a national database that is very well regulated, so it cannot be used for personal use, so Mr. Hill used that laptop and ran some vehicle registration information, which he was then able to provide to his father, who committed the shooting," said Waters.
Officer Hill turned himself into the Wylie Municipal Jail after detectives issued two arrest warrants for him. Wylie Police said he was taken into custody for misuse of official information and making a false statement to a peace officer.
Mesquite Police said in a statement posted to Facebook, "The Mesquite Police Department was recently made aware of an investigation involving one of our officers by the Wylie Police Department. The Mesquite Police Department is cooperating fully with their investigation, and the officer has been placed on administrative leave."
The Accused Stalker
Benjamin, 43, was arrested on July 8 for stalking according to Garland Police.
Garland investigators said they responded to a report of criminal mischief on June 25 at 4:00 a.m. when they learned a resident's tires had been slashed. Hill's girlfriend told him someone slashed her tires.
"A detective investigating the incident identified Jason Benjamin, a 43-year-old resident of Mesquite, as a suspect. The detective's investigation revealed that Benjamin had been engaging in harassing behavior that caused the victim to fear for their safety," said Garland Police in a statement.
