Justin Hurst – Texas Game Warden

On the night of March 16, 2007 Justin Hurst, Texas game warden, headed to assist another warden's call for backup. Somewhere in between the time he left his wife and son to go to work, and the time he would have returned home, something horrible happened.

A Texas game warden can be your best friend or your worst nightmare, depending which side of the law you are on. You can obey the laws set forth by Texas Parks & Wildlife and the warden is your friend. If you break those laws you'll probably feel a rush of panic when you see the truck or boat with the TP&W emblem heading your way. I have had wardens board my boat while fishing countless times and have never had a bad experience. I've also had to call them a few times for help never had a bad experience that way either.

If you hunt and fish long enough you will sooner or later be introduced to a game warden. They're personable for the most part, yet some aspects of law enforcement require them to be businesslike and aloof; they have to be as their work can sometimes be dangerous. If they're checking hunters too make sure that they are in compliance with Texas law, they have to believe that the person they're pulling over or the people in the camp they're pulling into are armed. Remember that the next time a warden stops you or comes into your deer camp and when the warden has finished checking you and thanks you for your time take a moment to thank him or her for doing their job. It will be appreciated I assure you.

During the chase of a suspected road hunter that lasted an hour and reached speeds of 100 miles per hour involving numerous other law enforcement officers, the suspect decided he wasn't going to be arrested without a fight.

After running over a nail strip and losing control of his vehicle, the officers in pursuit caught up. Suspect James Freeman got out of his vehicle and started blasting at the officers with a handgun.

Justin had a huge Labrador retriever named Jake and I can tell you from personal experience that Jake loves to play, but Jake doesn't play fair. You see Justin Hurst lived next door to my buddy Glenn's mother and we keep our boat there. On countless occasions while I was working on the boat, Jake would come from next door and visit. Jake always had a toy with him. If I was in the boat, Jake would stand on his hind legs with his forefeet on the gunnels and look at me. I'd reach for the toy and Jake would move just before I could grab it. I'd lose interest and go back to whatever it was I was doing and Jake would come back. We'd repeat the game until Jake was satisfied that he'd irritated me enough and he'd prance back to his house. If I was working under the boat or anywhere on the ground, Jake would come up and bump me, offering his toy. The same thing would happen and Jake would eventually give up and head home. Justin always came over and apologized for Jake, but I'd just laugh and then we'd talk about fishing or hunting or about Jake.

When James Freeman's handgun was emptied he pulled out an AK-47 and started blasting again. He had a warden and a sheriff's deputy pinned down. Hell he had everyone pinned down, shooting up their cars, blowing out windows, and had every officer on the defensive. Justin wasn't a defensive type person; he took the offensive.

I didn't know Justin until he moved to El Campo and became our local game warden. I had a good relationship with his predecessor and looked forward to meeting the new guy and hoped that he would be every bit as good a warden. He was. Justin was a nice guy, absolutely, but he was a tough lawman and he played no favorites when it came to enforcing the law. Neither was he the kind to ask favors. He knew the laws to the letter but he also possessed common sense and had compassion for those who deserved it. He was an officer for the people.

With the other officers pinned down by rifle fire, Justin left the protection of his pickup and maneuvered to flank the shooter. Freeman saw what Justin was doing and opened on him, hitting him twice. Though mortally wounded, Justin still managed to fire under Freeman's truck and hit him in the ankle, which allowed the other officers to take down the shooter.

Just past midnight on March 17^th, 2007 on his 34^th birthday, Justin Hurst, our friend and protector, died at the hands of someone not fit to polish his boots.

I'll miss Justin's smile and his advice and his answers to questions I always seemed have about game laws. I'll miss talking to him and I'll always look for him when I'm out there doing something with the boat.

I was angry the morning after Justin's death; I'm still angry, but I don't question the way God works. A Catholic priest once told me that God knows when, where and how we'll die and that it's all part of his plan. There's nothing that we can do about it, there is nothing we can do to change it, it's going to happen and all we can do is to be ready for it.

So remember Justin the next time a game warden hails you on the water or stops you on your way home from deer camp. Remember that just like you and me, the warden has a job to do; and he's going to do it whether you like it or not.

And remember when you leave for work, just like Justin, you might not be coming back. Kiss your wife or husband and hug your kids, tell them you love them and go do your job. Do it like Justin did his; to the best of your ability and with all of your heart. Then when you get home, hug and kiss them all again and thank God.

Be Safe,
Martin