AUSTIN –Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Criminal Prosecutions trial team secured a guilty verdict this week against a man who committed Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant. Shazizz Mateen shot a sheriff’s deputy in the face, blinding him for life. Mateen was sentenced to life in prison and assessed a $10,000 fine by an Austin County jury.
It was on November 1, 2018, that Mateen shot and blinded C.J. Lehmann, a Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy. Mateen had an outstanding warrant for failing to comply with his sex offender registration requirements. When officers attempted to execute the arrest warrant at the Dollar General in La Grange, Texas, Mateen threatened them with a knife and fled the store. The officers followed Mateen to a nearby motel, where Mateen had barricaded himself inside his room, and requested assistance.
When the call came over the radio, Deputy Lehmann was visiting his family at a local Halloween trick-or-treat event in downtown La Grange. The deputy left his family and, upon arriving on scene, volunteered to open the door to Mateen’s room. When he did, Mateen discharged a shotgun, striking Deputy Lehmann in the face and permanently blinding him.
The case was transferred from Fayette County to Austin County due to widespread local media attention. As a result of his valor, Deputy Lehmann was honored in 2019 with the Star of Texas Award, given to first responders who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Rountree and Assistant Attorney General Joshua Somers prosecuted the case. They are thankful for Deputy Lehmann’s service and sacrifice as a peace officer and are grateful that justice has been served. Deputy Lehmann is an inspiration to all of law enforcement in the State of Texas.
