Man Arrested in Home Invasion Involving Lawman

TYLER — 22-year-old Matthew Dwayne Patton of Tyler, named as the suspect shot by Smith County Deputy Constable Derek Phillips in a home invasion, was released from East Texas Medical Center Thursday. Tyler Officers arrested Patton at the hospital and charged him with burglary of habitation, a first-degree felony. Patton was transported to Smith County Jail. Bond was set at $250,000.00

On March 3, police responded to the Wood Trail Apartment Homes at 1909 Shiloh Rd., apartment # 118, on a report of a home invasion with shots fired. Officers arrived, found Patton shot in the upper chest inside the apartment, and were told that a second suspect had run away on foot. Patton was hospitalized. Phillips was visiting a friend who lived in the apartment. The second suspect, 21-year-old Patric Thurston of Tyler, was later caught. He was charged with first-degree felony burglary and transported to Smith County Jail. According to a police report, officers recovered a semi-automatic handgun that was thrown into the woods when Thurston fled the area. Initial details of the investigation indicated that the home invasion was a random act of violence by the two suspects.