Five people have been killed and 21 injured in the second mass shooting in Texas in a month.
First to be shot was a policeman who
stopped the gunman’s car between the cities of Midland and Odessa.
The gunman went on to shoot at
numerous motorists and passers-by.
At one point, he abandoned his car
and stole a postal truck before continuing his spree.
The gunman was shot dead by police
at a cinema complex.
The motive of the gunman, who was
white and in his mid-30s, is unclear.
Four weeks ago, 22 people were
killed in a mass shooting in El Paso.
About 20 people were injured – three
of them police officers – in this latest incident of gun violence in the US,
although the police say not all of them were shot. Some may have been cut by
glass when their car windows were hit by bullets and shattered.
Odessa’s Medical Center Hospital
said a child under the age of two was among those being treated there. Seven
other patients are in a serious condition.
Police said August 31 incident began
at just after 15:00 local time after two Texas Department of Public Safety
officers pulled over a vehicle on a Midland highway.
The driver then opened fire on the
officers and, after driving away, began shooting at other people in several
locations.
In a statement, Texas Governor Greg
Abbott said: “We will not allow the
Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence. We will unite, as Texans
always do, to respond to this tragedy.”
In a tweet, President Donald Trump
said he was being kept informed about the shootings in Texas.
Later, VP Mike Pence said he and the Trump administration “remain absolutely determined to work with leaders in both parties in Congress to take steps that we can address and confront this scourge of mass atrocity in our country”.
Five people have been killed and
many others injured in the second mass shooting in Texas in a month.
First to be shot was a policeman who
stopped the gunman’s car between the cities of Midland and Odessa.
The gunman went on to shoot at
numerous motorists and passers-by.
At one point, he abandoned his car
and stole a postal truck before continuing his spree.
The gunman was shot dead by police
at a cinema complex.
The motive of the gunman, who was
white and in his mid-30s, is unclear.
Four weeks ago, 22 people were
killed in a mass shooting in El Paso.
About 20 people were injured – three
of them police officers – in this latest incident of gun violence in the US,
although the police say not all of them were shot. Some may have been cut by
glass when their car windows were hit by bullets and shattered.
Odessa’s Medical Center Hospital
said a child under the age of two was among those being treated there. Seven
other patients are in a serious condition.
Police said August 31 incident began
at just after 15:00 local time after two Texas Department of Public Safety
officers pulled over a vehicle on a Midland highway.
The driver then opened fire on the
officers and, after driving away, began shooting at other people in several
locations.
In a statement, Texas Governor Greg
Abbott said: “We will not allow the
Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence. We will unite, as Texans
always do, to respond to this tragedy.”
In a tweet, President Donald Trump
said he was being kept informed about the shootings in Texas.
Later, VP Mike Pence said he and the Trump administration
“remain absolutely determined to work with leaders in both parties in
Congress to take steps that we can address and confront this scourge of mass
atrocity in our country”.
Texas Police Officer Roy Oliver has been charged with murder after shooting teenager Jordan Edwards, who was a passenger in a car as it drove away from a house party in Dallas.
Roy Oliver opened fire on the vehicle, killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, with a single bullet in the head on April 29.
Police initially said the car reversed “aggressively” towards the officer, but then admitted that was not the case.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Roy Oliver’s arrest on May 5.
In a statement, the office said there was evidence to suggest Roy Oliver “intended to cause serious bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of an individual”.
The tragedy unfolded after police responded to reports of underage drinking at a house party in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb.
Officers were inside the home trying to find the owner when they heard what they believed to be gunshots, and people began to flee from the house in panic.
Jordan Edwards was with his two brothers and two other friends in a car that left the party at this time.
Roy Oliver opened fire with a rifle, shooting Jordan Edwards as he sat in the front passenger seat.
The police officer was fired by the department earlier in the week.
A video footage obtained by local media in San Antonio appears to show police in Texas shooting and killing a man who had his hands up.
In the video, Gilbert Flores, 41, is seen outside a house with his arms raised before shots are fired and he falls.
Police say the man was armed and officers first attempted to subdue him with a stun gun.
A series of fatal police shootings in the last year have sparked protests and increased scrutiny on police tactics.
Photo Bexar County Sheriff’s Department
Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood said the video was “disturbing” but told people not to “rush to judgement” over what may have happened.
Police said the officers were responding to a domestic dispute involving a woman who had been cut in the head with a knife. She had been holding a baby who may also have been harmed, they said.
The officers involved, Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez, have been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated by the sheriff’s department.
“Certainly, what’s in the video is a cause for concern,” said Sheriff Susan Pamerleau, adding that the investigation must be allowed to run its course.
The fatal shooting a year ago of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked protests and a national debate about police use of force.
There has also been increased awareness in recent days of the dangers facing police, with four officers killed while on duty in the last eight days.
Texas police has found six children and two adults handcuffed and fatally shot in the head in a Houston-area home, following the arrest of a man who exchanged gunfire with officers.
The gunfire broke out when officers who had been called to the home late on Saturday spotted the body of a child and tried to enter.
A man surrendered about an hour later, after talks with police negotiators.
Police said the suspect, David Conley, was later charged with capital murder.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the bodies were found after “a welfare check was conducted on the premises” by deputies at about 21:00 local time.
A man inside opened fire when the deputies tried to force their way in.
The dead were identified as Dewayne Jackson, 50, his wife Valerie Jackson, 40, and children Nathaniel, 13, Dewayne, 10, Honesty, 11, Caleb, 9, Trinity, 7, and Jonah, 6.
Nathaniel was believed to be the son of David Conley, 48, and Valerie Jackson from a previous relationship.
Chief Deputy Tim Cannon of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said: “We… cannot fully comprehend the motivation of an individual that would take the lives of so many innocent people. Especially the lives of the youngest.
“The killer’s motives appear to be related to a dispute with Valerie.”
David Conley is being held in jail without bond.
The officials had previously said the bodies of five children and three adults were found in the house.
Court records showed that David Conley’s criminal history dated back to at least 1988, the Associated Press reports.
Last month, he was charged with assault of a family member, the news agency says.
At least 170 people are to face organized crime charges after a bike-gang shooting that left nine people dead and 18 others injured in Waco, Texas.
The feud broke out between several gangs at a shopping district in Waco.
What started as a fist fight soon descended into a battle with knives, clubs, chains and eventually guns.
One witness described the scene as “a war zone”, while a Waco policeman called it the most gruesome scene he had encountered in his career.
The number of those charged was revised down from 192, a figure police announced early on May 18.
The incident happened shortly after midday on May 17 at the Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping area called the Central Texas Market Place.
Up to five rival gangs got into a fight, apparently over parking space near the restaurant. Diners and staff at the nearby cafe managed to lock themselves in a freezer room for safety and were later escorted off the premises by armed police.
Waco police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Swanton said: “Twenty-five feet away there were families.
“This is one of the worst gunfights we’ve ever had in the city limits. They started shooting at our officers.”
Twin Peaks’ management said on May 18 it would close the Waco restaurant.
Rick van Warner, a spokesman for the company, said managers of the branch “chose to ignore the warnings and advice from both the police and our company, and did not uphold the high security standards we have in place to ensure everyone is safe at our restaurants.”
The authorities have increased security in the area to prevent further outbreaks of violence, as there are fears some of the gang members might return.
Police are to conduct tests on more than 100 cars or bikes found at the scene.
Sgt. Patrick Swanton said preliminary findings indicated that a dispute had broken out in a bathroom and eventually spilled over into the restaurant car park.
“I was amazed that we didn’t have innocent civilians killed or injured,” he said.
“In 34 years of law enforcement, this is the most violent crime scene I have ever been involved in,” he added.
A spokesman for McLennan County Court in Waco said the 170 people were being formally charged at the local jail, and that processing the large number of cases was proving to be “a big, big deal”.
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