Prosecutors are making a case against a rural Douglas County teen accused of shooting a sheriff's deputy. The Douglas County Attorney’s Office says they will charge Tyler Pitzl, 17, with multiple felonies in adult court.
Sunday at about 5am, deputies responded to a disturbance on South 240th Street near Waterloo. There the find Pitzl armed with a shotgun. He allegedly shoots Douglas Co. Deputy John McFarland who was treated and released from the hospital. Authorities say they returned fire and hit the teen. He is still at the hospital in serious condition.
Prosecutors say they located evidence of a party happening in one of the barns on the property. Pitzl also allegedly hit one of his parents with a baseball bat.
“Well he’s 17 and a half for one so they would lose jurisdiction fairly quickly, but more importantly he shot at deputies. They’re very lucky to be alive, one was hit, so we’re just grateful and thankful that it wasn’t worse than it was,” said Chief Deputy Douglas Co. Attorney Brenda Beadle.
Authorities are still doing interviews, and processing paperwork before they decide on charges.
It's possible drugs or alcohol were involved, but Beadle says they're still waiting on toxicology reports before making that determination.
A warrant will be issued before Pitzl is set to leave the hospital.
Through a hospital spokesperson Pitzl’s family told us to contact their lawyer for comment, but no name was given.
