Stacey Lerke, 49, died early Monday after troopers shot him at the end of a vehicle chase in Amarillo. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the whole thing started around 3:45 a.m. when their troopers joined Amarillo police and Potter County deputies on a pursuit.
Stacey would not pull over. The chase wound through the area and stopped near Skyline Drive and Angelus Drive. His vehicle crashed there. He got out holding what looked exactly like an assault rifle.
Troopers yelled for him to drop it. He did not. They fired. Officers gave him first aid right there on the ground, then got him to a hospital. He died from the wounds later that morning.
It turned out the rifle was an airsoft gun. DPS said it matched a real assault rifle in looks. No one could tell the difference in the dark and the heat of the moment.
Texas Rangers have the case now. They will turn over everything they find to the district attorney for review. That process is still underway.
Family and friends in Amarillo are left picking up the pieces. They talk about the ordinary days and the small things they shared with Stacey. Those memories are what they hold onto right now.
The community feels the weight of it too. People who knew him say the sudden end still does not sit right.
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