A Waterloo teen teenager accused of shooting at two Douglas County Sheriff's deputies at his home last September says he is sorry for his actions.
Tyler Pitzl was joined by his father and attorney at a news conference Monday afternoon. "I'm very sad for what I did, for what happened to those sheriffs. It's hurts me because I can't remember any of it," Pitzl says.
The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that Pitzl's case can move forward in the juvenile system. The then 17 year old high school student is accused of assaulting his parents and shooting at two deputies who responded to the family's home outside Waterloo. Pitzl was shot once when deputies returned fire.
Pitzl was originally charged as an adult with five felonies, including two counts of attempted murder. A conviction could have landed him in prison for several decades.
Pitzl's attorney, James Martin Davis, says a previously undiagnosed concussion and football further blows to the head caused brain damage.
"During the football season, in at least two games, he suffered serious head blows. In fact, the night before the incident occurred, there were at least four heavy-duty head blows that even caused damage to his helmet," Davis says.
Davis said the family was unaware Pitzl had also been diagnosed with a concussion prior to the football season. "He had gone to several football camps and there was some diagnostic tests done that are required on all athletes and they determined he had a concussion. Nobody knew that," Davis said.
Davis said Pitzl has been seen by three doctors who support the claims. Pitzl's father Dennis says he is proud of his son and how strong he's been through the situation. "It hasn't been an easy road. "He's had a lot of work to try and get back to some sort of normalcy."
The investigation shows that Pitzl had been drinking on the night in question and was over the legal limit. His first appearance in juvenile court will be Thursday morning.
Teen who shot at Douglas County deputies apologizes, points to head injuries from football | Crime & Courts
Tyler Pitzl, the high school student who fired at two deputies last fall, said Monday at a press conference at his attorney’s office that he’s sorry.
Neither of the deputies was seriously wounded. One was struck by a shotgun pellet.
In the past, Tyler has partially attributed his actions to the effects of head injuries during a high school football game the night before.
On Monday, at the office of attorney James Martin Davis, Pitzl and his family also said that school tests before the football season indicated that he had previously sustained a concussion, but the district did not share that information with them.
The family said at the press conference that the Douglas County West School District should have shared that information with them so that he could have been checked by a doctor before playing.