Shiner , Texas ( CNN ) -- Shiner is a place you can raise your cattle and chickens under the hot Texas sun , cool off with a bottle from the Lone Star State 's oldest independent brewery , then go to bed knowing all your neighbors and believing that you 'll be safe . But a few days ago , one of its trademark ranches turned into a crime scene . That 's when a father spotted a man sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter , then beat the alleged abuser to death . In a community that prides itself as being peaceful , a place where things like this just do n't happen , there is a sweeping consensus that justice was served . `` Any father would have done that , '' Michael James Veit , whose son graduated with the father from Shiner High School in 2007 and who now lives across the road from the ranch where the killing took place , said Thursday . `` Everybody is saying the father is justified . '' According to the Lavaca County Sheriff 's Office , the 23-year-old father and his family were enjoying a barbecue last Saturday at their ranch on Shiner 's outskirts where they keep horses and chickens . His young daughter had gone off toward the barn , to feed the chickens , the child 's grandfather -- who is n't being named , to protect the identity of his granddaughter -- told CNN affiliates KSAT and KPRC . Then her father heard screaming and ran . He found a 47-year-old man in the act of sexually abusing his daughter , according to Sheriff Mica Harmon . The father stopped the alleged abuser , then pounded him repeatedly in the head . `` I jumped the fence and saw the man on the ground , '' the grandfather said of what he first saw . `` At that point , I did n't know if he was dead or not . '' Authorities did , in fact , pronounce the alleged abuser dead . Lavaca County Precinct Judge Alene Lyons said Monday that a preliminary autopsy report shows he `` died from blunt-force head and neck injuries , '' adding toxicology report results should be back in six weeks . Harmon described the victim as an acquaintance of the family , known for his horse-grooming abilities . He has not been publicly identified by authorities . The father himself called 911 , telling them that his daughter 's alleged abuser was lying , beaten , on the ground . Afterward , the sheriff said that the admitted killer appeared `` very remorseful '' and did n't know the other man would die at the scene . Asked whether authorities would press charges against the father , the sheriff responded , `` You have a right to defend your daughter . He acted in defense of his third person . Once the investigation is completed , we will submit it to the district attorney , who then submits it to the grand jury , who will decide if they will indict him . '' Neighbors portrayed the father as hard-working , friendly and polite , the type of guy who reliably addresses others as `` Sir . '' `` He 's not a violent guy . He 's never been in any trouble in his life , '' Veit said of a man he described as a single father who worked nobly to make ends meet . `` He 's a good , honest , hard-working kid . '' Most any violence is unexpected in Shiner , a community between Houston and San Antonio that has about 2,000 people within its city limits and another 1,500 or so on its outskirts , according to the U.S. Census Bureau . Billing itself as the `` Cleanest Little City in Texas , '' Shiner is known for the Spoetzl Brewery , a wire and plastics company , not to mention its acres upon acres of plains and farms . Veit calls it `` a small-town community , '' filled with folks who may not be wealthy but who work hard and look out for one another . `` Nothing ever happens . There 's never any murders here , '' Veit said . `` Everybody knows everybody and gets along with everybody . ( This killing ) is a real big shock . '' Man kills his alleged abuser .
Texas sheriff says a man finds a man sexually abusing his 5-year-old daughter . The father beats the man to death , then calls 911 , the sheriff 's office says . Score: 6 The father has not been charged .