SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The Abilene Police Department has asserted that an Abilene man who killed himself following an hours-long standoff with police and a multi-day manhunt is deceased after a post began to circulate online alleging that he is alive and active in San Angelo.

A Facebook post published at 4:07 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18, purported that a man identified as 56-year-old James Wesley Key was "knocking on peoples' doors claiming to be homeless," seeking assistance before attacking his target. The post claimed that Key was "on the run" and "very dangerous."

The post also stated that on Friday, Dec. 13, Key "attacked a 32 year old single mom with a knife leaving her struggling for her life" and "also stole a vehicle from an 84-year-old woman under the guise of helping her offload groceries from her car." The post stated that a $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information that leads to his arrest.

The post has since been replaced with an advertisement for dental services that are "FREE" until Dec. 30. The post was originally published in an online group called "San Angelo Swap and Sell" that, according to Facebook, has an estimated 23,700 members. The post has garnered traction online, having been shared 90 times as of the time of this article's publication.

"This guy is dead, he shot a cop in Abilene and committed suicide. This happened last week after they had the Texas Rangers, Lubbock Swat team and Abilene PD tore the house down. They found him dead," one commenter said in response to a shared version of the post.

The Abilene Police Department and Nexstar affiliate station KTAB reported on Friday, Dec, 13, that Key took his own life following a standoff with law enforcement at a residence in Abilene that lasted over nine hours. Both sources stated that Key was found to have sustained a "self-inflicted gunshot wound," and KTAB reported that his body was found at approximately 2 a.m.

Key was being sought by law enforcement after he was reported to have shot an APD officer in north Abilene on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 10, after a traffic stop. The APD stated that the injured officer was "transported to a local hospital for treatment and later released."

Concho Valley Homepage staff contacted the APD regarding the Dec. 18 Facebook post. According to an APD officer, Key is deceased and, for this reason, is not responsible for the crimes alleged in the post or active in San Angelo.

The officer also stated that Key was 49, not 56.

News Source : https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/local-news/apd-dead-abilene-man-not-active-in-san-angelo/