Horseshoe Bay, Texas

From the Marble Falls Highlander News of August 23, 2005

Man fatally shot in HSB

A California man was shot to death early Thursday morning after attempting to enter the home of his son and ex-wife.

At approximately 5:30 a.m. Thursday, officers from the Horseshoe Bay Police Department were called to Granite Shoals Street in regards to a man breaking into a residence there. Upon arrival, officers found a 33-year-old white male, Brandon Joseph Steele of Palm Desert, Calif., dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Officers had responded to the same location approximately an hour earlier when the resident called and said she thought her ex-husband was trying to enter the residence from the back yard. Officers searched the area around the residence and were unable to find anyone in the area, having returned to the location several other times prior to the break-in in attempt to find the subject.

The resident, Erica Renee Verette, 30, of Granite Shoals Street in Horseshoe Bay, confirmed she was the former wife of the victim and said she had just returned to the residence after being out of the country for several days. Her ex-husband came to Horseshoe Bay from Palm Desert after returning their 5 year-old son he had been keeping in California since June.

Verette said her ex-husband had been drinking and became belligerent and uncontrollable earlier in the evening and she had called her father to take him back to Austin to stay the night. Officers pieced together information leading them to believe that the victim jumped out of the vehicle and called a cab to bring him back to HSB. After returning to the residence, the victim allegedly broke a window in the bedroom of the home and entered while the ex-wife and her boyfriend were there.

According to the information officers received, the victim began screaming he was going to harm them. The 5 year-old son was reported to have been in the bedroom as well. After Steele entered, the boyfriend, Raymond Rex Bumpus, 28, of Lampasas ,reportedly fired several times at the victim during the ensuing altercation. Officers recovered a .22-caliber handgun at the scene.Investigators are awaiting an autopsy to determine actual cause of death and number of times and locations on the body where the victim was shot. EMS personnel were called to the scene and advised they did not detect vital signs; Justice of the Peace Rudy Cunningham arrived, pronounced the subject dead, and ordered an autopsy of the body.

Horseshoe Bay Police Chief Bill Lane said that in addition to his investigators, he has requested the assistance of Texas Ranger Sgt. Joey Gordon due to the nature of the investigation.

The investigation is continuing and investigators will be referring the case to the District Attorney's Office for an assessment of possible charges. Lane speculated that due to the circumstances surrounding the shooting he would anticipate the matter being referred to a grand jury to determine if, and what, charges might be filed.