The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office on Monday afternoon provided the following update regarding the report of gunfire at the Church Epicenter in Burnet Sunday morning:

The original report, which appeared Sunday on BrownwoodNews.com said:

On Sunday October 6, 2024, at approximately 1033 hours Deputies with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Church at the Epicenter located at 2401 N US 281 Burnet, Burnet County, TX regarding a 911 call in which a male subject requested the police at the address above and then disconnected.

Upon the arrival of law enforcement, it became clear that there had been gunfire, and that the 911 caller had fired all of the shots. It was further determined that the caller/shooter was a member of the church’s volunteer safety team.

The safety team member stated that he confronted 2 suspicious males outside the church, one of whom presented a rifle. The safety team member fired multiple rounds causing both males to enter a white minivan and flee the scene, driving north bound on US 281.

Monday’s update said:

The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office conducted a thorough investigation of this incident. The investigation involved Deputies, Detectives, and support personnel from all divisions of the agency, along with the invaluable assistance of the agencies listed below. This investigation lasted well into the night, resumed immediately this morning, and involved law enforcement assets from across the state.

In the course of this investigation, the safety team member who had fired the shots admitted that he had fabricated significant details of this incident and had lied to law enforcement and others about this incident.

There were no hostile actions taken or directed at the church by any persons, and no weapons brandished toward the church or the safety team member. At no time was the safety of the congregation in jeopardy.

As a result of this false story, the safety team member, Jacob Wayne Tarver (age 45, of Burnet County) has been arrested and charged with False Report to Induce an Emergency Response(a Class A Misdemeanor), Tampering With Or Fabricating Physical Evidence (a 3rd-Degree Felony), and Deadly Conduct (a 3rd-Degree Felony). He was jailed in the Burnet County Jail and is awaiting a magistration hearing to set bail.

Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd would like to gratefully acknowledge the significant assistance of these agencies: The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Ranger Service, DPS Highway Patrol, DPS Criminal Investigations Division, The Burnet Police Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens and Park Police, DPS Aircraft Division, DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit, DPS SWAT Team, and the 33 rd /424 th District

Attorney Sonny McAfee.