Homicide suspected in 'clearly suspicious' death of off-duty Texas officer: Police

The off-duty officer found dead in his Texas home Monday was likely the victim of a homicide, according to police.

Authorities say the manner of Abilene police Officer Don Allen's death is "clearly suspicious" and there is no indication that he was targeted at random.

Family members found the 27-year-old's body at his home in the nearby city of Clyde.

Law enforcement blog LEO Affairs, citing local news site Big Country Homepage, says Allen may have been murdered in a coordinated attack. According to LEO Affairs, a search warrant of cell tower data contained these details:

This ruling isn’t official, but a direct quote from the documents reads, “Communication occurred between multiple parties to plan and carry out the murder. [The officer filing the warrant] believes cell towers within the 10-mile radius will have captured transaction between the suspects who were involved in this murder.”

When asked about the likelihood of Allen being targeted by several people in a premeditated attack, Clyde Police Chief Robert Dalton replied, “We have no direct information that would say that’s the case. I’m not sure where that came from. Of course we’re not releasing all the information because it’s an active investigation. We try not to comment on the number of suspects.”

The Clyde Police Department, which received a 911 call after 7 p.m. Monday, reached out to the Abilene Police Department and Texas Rangers for assistance. All three agencies are working with the FBI to investigate the incident. Allen’s body was taken to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

Dalton said a lot of misinformation is swirling around concerning Allen’s death.

“One of those rumors is that there was some kind of anti-police message left at the scene. That is entirely untrue,” he said in an interview with Yahoo News Wednesday. “We do not have any evidence at this time that Mr. Allen was targeted because he was a police officer.”

Dalton also wanted to reassure Clyde residents that law enforcement has no evidence that suggests they are in harm’s way.

“It’s a small town and there is some uneasiness right now, but we have no reason to believe that other members of the public are in danger.”

During a press conference Tuesday, Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge addressed what many had been thinking: Allen’s is the latest in a spate of violent police officer deaths.

“I do not want to police in a community where it’s an us-versus-them mentality,” Standridge said. “If we get there, we’ve lost. We have not lost.”

Before joining the Abilene Police Department, Allen was an officer in Cisco, Texas, for a year and five months. He served as a Texas peace officer for a total of three years and three months.

Standridge described Allen as a “great man and great peace officer.”

“Parents should not have to bury their children,” he said, “and this family certainly needs our love and prayers during this time.”

A representative from the Texas Rangers was not immediately available for comment.