WEATHERFORD - In connection with an April 17 incident in which Brian Durant refused to surrender his handgun and was shot by law enforcement, the 35-year-old Weatherford resident pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of evading arrest with a vehicle and four counts of deadly conduct.

The counts of deadly conduct charged Durant with recklessly placing four officers in imminent danger of serious bodily injury by continuing to possess a firearm after being repeatedly instructed to surrender the firearm to law enforcement.

Durant, who has been hospitalized and in inpatient care since the incident, will be on probation for two years on each count and if revoked could serve up to a year in jail in each case. Durant is prohibited from owning a firearm and must serve 60 days in jail, along with paying $5,000 in fines, completing aftercare and performing 300 hours of community service.

“At the scene, officers initially thought Durant fired a firearm by the family home and may have hit an officer,” said Parker County District Attorney Don Schnebly. “Officers responded by firing and hitting Durant several times. After the shots were fired, it was quickly determined that an officer had not been shot.”

Texas Ranger Tony Bradford was assigned the investigation because both the sheriff’s department and police department were involved in the incident. Bradford accounted for all casings fired by law enforcement, but could not find a casing by the house fired from Durant’s gun or a bullet hole in the large garage door behind the officer who was originally believed to be shot. Bradford thoroughly searched the scene that night and into the morning in an attempt to find a bullet hole or casing from Durant’s gun by the house, without success.

“After receiving the Ranger’s report, we talked to the officers involved and the heads of the departments,” said Schnebly. “After we discussed all the circumstances, our office and the involved law enforcement agencies were all in agreement with the way the cases should be handled.”

“The bottom line is that we may not know exactly what happened, but we do know for certain that Durant was responsible for creating an incredibly dangerous situation not only for him but for all the officers involved,” said Schnebly. “Even if Durant did not shoot, he still fled from the police and created the situation that endangered the lives of officers, and that is what he is being held responsible for with these cases.”

On the night of April 17, officers from the Parker County Sheriff’s Department and the Weatherford Police Department tried to locate Durant after family members had called in fearing that he might attempt to take his life. With the assistance of family members, officers located Durant at the shopping center at the intersection of Interstate 20 and South Main Street in Weatherford. Officers then pursued Durant a short distance to his family’s home, where he stopped his vehicle at the end of the lane and got out holding a handgun.

Officers tried to convince Durant to put down the gun. However, he held the gun by his head and went behind his vehicle and a gunshot was heard. He then walked to the family home and sat down on an air conditioner unit. Durant repeatedly told officers that he did not want to shoot or harm them but that he wanted the officers to leave or to shoot him.

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler approached Durant with three other officers in an effort to convince Durant to surrender the gun. Durant allowed the sheriff to approach within two feet of him and it appeared that Durant was going to hand the gun to the him.

However, Durant’s expression abruptly changed and he stood and raised his arm with the gun still in his right hand. Officers immediately responded by firing numerous shots, striking Durant in the stomach and arms.

Emergency personnel immediately responded and were able to stabilize Durant and take him to the hospital where he underwent numerous surgeries over a period of time.

Bradford determined that, based upon Durant’s actions, the officers acted appropriately in firing their weapons but was unable to show that Durant had fired upon them by finding a casing or bullet hole.