Justin Hurst killed on his 34th birthday

Game Warden Justin Hurst is the third law enforcement officer who will be honored on the sheriff's monument. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Darryl Darnell at the sheriff's office.

Justin Hurst

1973 - 2007

There is an old legend that if you die on your birthday, your life has come full circle. Justin Hurst was born on March 17, 1973 and died on March 17, 2007 at just 34 years; his life had not had time to become a full circle. Although his circle did consist of his wife Amanda whom he married in 2001 and his son, Kyle who was only four months old when he died, they encompassed his circle. Little Kyle was the light of Justin's life and Amanda and Justin had a near perfect marriage, they were both graduates of Texas A&M with degrees in wildlife ecology and both enjoyed the outdoors. They met at a Wildlife Society meeting in 1997. They loved, laughed, hunted and played together. Justin worked as a waterfowl guide for about 14 years starting when he was only 16 years old, until four years before his death when he became a Game Warden. He loved his job and tried to educate people on what they had done wrong, believing that there was good in most people and they would not do the wrong thing again once they knew the laws.

Justin Hurst became a Game Warden in August 2003. He was a leader in his district with expertise in many fields of law enforcement. Hurst believed in education as a way to remedy the challenge of violations to the wild game in Wharton County.

TPWD Game Warden Captain Rex Mayes of Victoria in his recommendation for Hurst to represent Region 4 at the 2006 Operation Game Thief Banquet in Houston wrote, "Justin has been involved in multiple flagrant hunting cases other than waterfowl such as hunting deer at night, hunting from a public road, hunting without landowners consent, and criminal trespass. A few of these cases investigated have led to solving burglaries and possession of stolen property. He has investigated and filed pollution cases involving commercial dumping and contaminants. Justin has assisted wardens on the bay and Gulf of Mexico to apprehend violators involved with shrimping, oystering, crabbing, fifi.shing and other commercial industries during the summer months."

Hurst visited Wharton County schools in many of our communities and tried his best to educate children on the hunting and fishing laws as well as ethics and taking care of the environment. He possessed a massive knowledge of wildlife and carried this knowledge to the students believing the more aware they were of

our wildlife environments and resources the better they would take care of them once they become adults.

On Justin's

fatal 34th birthday, James Freeman was suspected of illegally hunting and stopped by Game Warden Scott Blackburn, Freeman took evasive action and fled the scene. Hurst was called in as backup with other deputies. On Hwy 90 and CR 252 spikes were thrown out by DPS to flatten the tires on Freeman's pickup truck in order to stop him after an almost hour long chase. Once he was forced to stop he exited his pickup truck and began firing at the two game wardens with a pistol, emptied of its ammunition, he returned to the truck and brought out a rifle and began firing it. One of Hurst's bullets hit Freeman in the ankle, and although Hurst was wearing a bullet proof vest he was hit once in the shoulder and once in the hip.

He was life flighted to a Houston hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival. Freeman was also wounded, was taken to a Houston hospital and finally transferred to Wharton County Jail. He faces capital murder charges.

Janet Hobizal is an archivist with the Wharton County Historical Museum.