Former Lufkin officer's death shocks, saddens LPD

LUFKIN — Allen "Stinger" Wallace drove to his mother's grave Monday afternoon.

Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell said Wallace, 50, of Lufkin, may have planned to end his life in the quiet Sardis Cemetery.

The death of a retired Lufkin narcotics officer Monday during a gunfire exchange with deputies at Cherokee County cemetery has "shocked and deeply saddened" members of the Lufkin Police Department.

Allen "Stinger" Lee Wallace, 50, was fatally shot near his mother's gravesite in Sardis, southwest of Rusk, after he apparently aimed a gun at deputies responding to a suicide call in the cemetery, according to a report from the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

The case is currently being investigated by the Texas Rangers. It is unclear who fired the first shot.

Results from an autopsy conducted Tuesday were not available Tuesday afternoon, said Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell.

"There are no results yet," he said. "Nothing has changed since yesterday."

Texas Ranger Rudy Flores was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

A Lufkin Police Department spokesman issued a statement Tuesday about Wallace's death.

"We're shocked and deeply saddened by this," said Lt. David Young, spokesman for the Lufkin Police Department. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Wallace retired from LPD in 2001 after working for the department 23 years, Young said.

Deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office arrived at the cemetery, off County Road 2218, about 3 p.m. Monday in response to a call of a possible suicide, the Tyler newspaper reported.

There deputies found Wallace sitting in a lawn chair facing what was believed to be his mother's grave site. Wallace apparently had a pistol lying at his feet.

Campbell said the deputies spoke to Wallace, trying to soothe him before Wallace grabbed the gun and aimed it at them, the Morning Telegraph reported. Shots were fired from both directions, one killing Wallace.

The two deputies were not injured.

Wallace was declared dead at the scene. Both deputies have been placed on desk work and are expected to undergo counseling, Campbell told the Morning Telegraph.

Wallace made local headlines in 2000 after a contractor working on his home claimed Wallace threatened his life after ongoing delays in Wallace's home construction. Contractor Michael Garner captured the incident on tape.

An Angelina County Grand Jury later declined to pursue criminal charges against Wallace.

Garner filed a civil suit, later dismissed by a federal judge. In 2002, Garner pleaded guilty to misapplication of fiduciary property while building the Wallace's home. A judge ordered Garner to pay Wallace $36,000 in restitution and placed him on 10 years probation.

Staff writers Denise Hoepfner and Christine Diamond contributed to this report.