Police officer: Haste was a life-saver

AUSTIN, Texas, March 31 (UPI) -- A Texas police officer says his hurry may have saved his life when he sped to a shooting scene because his rifle sling, worn incorrectly, stopped a bullet.

Jack Johnson, a member of the Round Rock police department, testified Wednesday at a penalty hearing for Kenneth Wade Davis, the Austin American-Statesman said. Davis, 45, entered guilty pleas Tuesday to aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a public servant.

Davis had already shot and wounded his former girlfriend, Bobbie Rigsby, when police officers arrived, witnesses said.

Johnson said he was in such a hurry he simply tossed his rifle sling around his neck instead of crossing it over his chest and around one of his shoulders. A short time later, he heard a gunshot and felt something burning.

"The particular spot where the round hit the sling is where it doubled up," Johnson said in court. "The round was actually in the sling itself."

The jury began deliberations Thursday. Davis could receive a life sentence.