Burnet man charged with murder in shooting death of Killeen man
William Kimbrell Ridgely, 36, of Burnet, was arrested and charged with the Murder of Brandon James Petree on Feb. 28. Bell County Jail photo
A 36-year-old Burnet man, William Kimbrell Ridgely, was charged with murder on Saturday, Feb. 28, in the shooting death of a Killeen man earlier last week on Feb. 25.
According to a news release from the Killeen Police Department, officers responded to a shots-fired call at approximately 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 25 near Splawn Ranch Road and Zayden Drive in Killeen.
At the scene, officers found an unconscious man in a field nearby with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim, identified as Brandon James Petree, 35, of Killeen, was pronounced dead at 10:41 p.m. by a local justice of the peace. A preliminary investigation revealed that a 9-1-1 caller reported hearing arguing followed by multiple gunshots in connection with the incident.
Three days later, and following an investigation by the KPD Criminal Investigation Division, Ridgely was arrested and charged with the murder of Petree.
Ridgely was booked in the Bell County Jail at 10:14 a.m. on Feb. 28 with a $500,000 bond. According to his jail records, Ridgley had an address of “Burnet, Texas (STATE) 78611.”
Upon a further search of the records of the Burnet County Jail and the Bell County Jail, Ridgely appeared to have no prior incarceration at either location.
As of this article’s publication, KPD was still investigating the case, and no further information was available at the time.