Man Charged in Officer Involved Shooting

TYLER – An East Texas man has been served with a warrant in his Tyler hospital room in connection with an officer involved shooting on June 17th. Kenneth Alan Carner, of LaRue, has been charged with aggravated assault on a public servant. Once released from the hospital will be taken to the Smith County Jail. He was shot by sheriff’s deputy Lauren Fite following a traffic stop on County Road 35, also known as Lavender Road.

After being stopped for driving on the wrong side of the road, he is said to have hit Fite after he was told he was being detained. As he tried to run away, Fite used her taser on him twice, over a short period of time. Each time, he pulled the taser barbs out and kept running. He also threw away what is suspected to be methamphetamine.

As Fite continued chasing him, he is said to have turned on her and charged her, taking both of them to the ground. As he struggled to get her gun, Sheriff Larry Smith said she was able to turn her body away from him, pull the gun, and shoot him twice.