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Richard "Ricky" Dee Woods

Age : 43

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/07/2021

Location : Bigs, formerly Cherry’s Grocery, 2701 N. Raguet Street

City : Lufkin

County : Angelina

State : Texas

Agency : Angelina County Sheriff’s Office; Lufkin Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during arrest

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/07/2021, an Angelina County sheriff’s deputy and a Lufkin Police Department officer shot 43-year-old Richard “Ricky” Woods while attempting to arrest him on a felony warrant in the parking lot of Bigs, formerly Cherry’s Grocery, at 2701 N. Raguet Street in Lufkin. Woods was transported to a hospital and died shortly afterward.
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The warrant stemmed from an alleged 08/27/2021 assault on Woods’ former girlfriend. Police said they were called to a Lufkin hospital after the woman reported that Woods had cut her vehicle’s battery cables and strangled her. She told police she lost consciousness three times. Officers documented bleeding, bruising and red marks on her face and neck and a swollen area on her forehead. A felony warrant was subsequently issued for Woods.
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On September 7, a Lufkin police officer and Angelina County deputy received information that Woods would be at Bigs. At approximately 4:15 p.m., they saw him walk into the store and waited for him to return to his vehicle before attempting the arrest.
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According to the joint police and sheriff’s office account, Woods pulled a handgun when the officers confronted him in the parking lot. The Angelina County deputy fired first, striking Woods and causing him to fall.
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Police alleged that after falling, Woods remained on the ground but began reaching and crawling toward his handgun. The Lufkin officer approached carrying a patrol rifle and then fired at Woods. Police said the second shooting occurred because Woods was continuing to reach for the gun while the deputy and civilians were nearby in the busy gas-station parking lot.
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The deputy and Lufkin officer immediately provided medical aid, including applying a chest seal and tourniquets. EMS transported Woods to a Lufkin hospital, where he died.
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The Lufkin officer had previous direct contact with Woods because he was Woods’ designated sex-offender accountability officer. In that role, the officer conducted monthly face-to-face contacts with Woods to monitor his registration status and compliance.
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Lufkin police and the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office released a portion of the Lufkin officer’s body-camera recording after the shooting. The agencies said the release was intended to show the encounter publicly while the investigation continued.
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The Texas Rangers assumed the outside investigation because personnel from both the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and Lufkin Police Department had fired. Both shooters were placed on administrative leave pending completion of the investigation and presentation to a grand jury.
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This was the second fatal police shooting in Lufkin on September 7. Earlier that same day, a Lufkin police officer shot and killed 52-year-old Anthony Cravo during a separate encounter. Texas Rangers investigated both shootings.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Angelina County deputy who first shot Woods and the Lufkin police officer who subsequently shot Woods with a patrol rifle were not named in the contemporary reports located for this update. The agencies initially stated that the officers’ names would not be released until they had provided their investigative statements. Later publicly searchable reporting located through 2026 does not establish their identities sufficiently to place names in the Officer(s) field.
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The Lufkin officer was not a stranger to Woods: he was Woods’ sex-offender accountability officer and had been conducting monthly face-to-face monitoring contacts with him before the fatal encounter.
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AGENCY RECORD
The Woods shooting was one of two separate fatal law-enforcement shootings in Lufkin on the same day. Texas Rangers investigated both rather than allowing the involved local agencies to conduct the criminal investigations themselves.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kltv.com/2021/09/07/lufkin-police-assisting-with-multi-agency-investigation-former-cherrys-grocery/
https://www.ktre.com/2021/09/07/lufkin-police-assisting-with-multi-agency-investigation-former-cherrys-grocery/
https://www.ktre.com/2021/09/08/authorities-man-shot-lufkin-store-had-choked-woman-with-battery-cables/
https://kicks105.com/lpdacso-give-more-details-on-tuesdays-fatal-shooting-at-bigs/