Suspect shot by OPD officer booked into jail
Feb. 7—A 32-year-old man shot by Odessa police last month is facing an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge in connection with another incident earlier in the day.
According to an Odessa Police Department report released Friday, OPD officers and Texas Rangers were still at the scene where Benjamin Fiedler, 32, was shot when they became aware of a 28-year-old woman who had come into contact with Fiedler earlier that morning.
The woman told police she was loading up her vehicle in the 900 block of West 30th Street and preparing to go to work when a man in a red sweater came running toward her, looking upset and carrying a hammer, the report stated.
She said she ran away, but the man, later identified as Fiedler, kept coming after her. According to the report, the woman said she was able to get into her vehicle and drive away, but she saw Fiedler in her rear view mirror still running after her with the hammer.
"(The woman) stated she had no idea who he was and was terrified in seeing Fiedler continuing to chase her with the weapon as she fled in her vehicle," the report stated.
According to OPD, officers responded to a disturbance call in the 900 block of West 31st St. around 10 a.m. that same morning. They had been told a man armed with a hammer was attempting to get inside an apartment.
When officers arrived, the man later identified as Fiedler, was non-compliant even after they used a Taser on him, police said.
Fiedler charged at the officers, and one of the officers fired a single shot, striking the him in the abdomen. He was taken to Medical Center Hospital by Odessa Fire Rescue crews.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave with pay until further notice which is standard practice.
Jail records show Fiedler was booked into the Ector County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Thursday. His bond has been set at $25,000.
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