Suspected brisket thief dies after shot by Central Texas police at H-E-B

Waco police shot a a 48-year-old white man accused of trying to steal $80 worth of brisket on Aug. 11, 2015 from an H-E-B after the man allegedly drew a knife on officers and a store employee, according to media reports. less Waco police shot a a 48-year-old white man accused of trying to steal $80 worth of brisket on Aug. 11, 2015 from an H-E-B after the man allegedly drew a knife on officers and a store employee, according to ... more Photo: Courtesy Of KBTX Photo: Courtesy Of KBTX Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Suspected brisket thief dies after shot by Central Texas police at H-E-B 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

A 48-year-old man shot by Waco police Tuesday after allegedly drawing a knife on officers and an H-E-B died Tuesday night, according to media reports.

Randall Lance Hughes was accused of trying to steal $80 worth of brisket from an H-E-B in Waco, KXXV reported.

Police first used a Taser on the suspect, a 48-year-old white man, after he pulled the knife and struggled with officers while being detained in the store's security room, Waco Police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton told The Waco Tribune-Herald.

Officers "attempted to taze the suspect but it had no affect," the Waco Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. "Our officers were forced to discharge their weapons in defense of their lives."

Swanton told the Tribune-Herald that he fired "at least two rounds." It's not clear how many wounds Hughes had.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital for emergency treatment, the Facebook post read.

The two officers were not injured, but were placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an investigation into the shooting, KBTX reported.

RELATED: Another San Antonio BBQ joint hit in latest brisket, meat theft

The Central Texas region has seen a string of brisket thefts in the past several months, some from grocery stores and some from barbecue restaurants.

Augie's BBQ, B & B Smokehouse, The Smoke Shack and Two Bros. BBQ Market all suffered meat thefts in late 2014 and early 2015.

An apparent black market for brisket has popped up in Texas in the face of high meat prices: Austin police arrested James Cordell Avery in January for allegedly stealing $2,000 worth of brisket from at least 19 H-E-B stores and selling the meat to local barbecue vendors.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports