Updated: Moncton Gunman Surrenders After Killing Three Mounties

Justin Bourque works his evil

June 5, 2014 -- Parts of Moncton, New Brunswick were locked down following the shooting deaths on Wednesday night of three Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the wounding of two other officers, reports the CBC.  

Police were searching for gunman Justin Bourque, 24, armed and dangerous. Police tweeted a photo of him wearing military camouflage and carrying guns (left).

UPDATE: Bourque surrendered to police at early on the morning of Friday, just after midnight. The Daily Mail (UK) reports that Bourque gave himself up in the front yard of Moncton resident Michelle Thibodeau. 

"He was in my backyard. I saw him arrested in front of my eyes. He is alive," Thibodeau tweeted. "The swat team arrived at my house and unloaded and started screaming in my backyard for him to surrender and he did. I watched it happen," according the the Daily Mail. "They had him sprawled on my front lawn for some time and then loaded him into the swat vehicle. They are now checking my yard for firearms."

While Bourque was still at large, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police asked residents to stay inside and lock their doors, turn on porch lights to assist police, and to not broadcast police operations over social media such as Twitter or Facebook. Moncton has a population of just over 60,000.

Also See:

• THE UNTOLD STORY OF JUSTIN BOURQUE Macleans
• Moncton manhunt: Search for shooting suspect enters 2nd day Global News
• Horror of Moncton shooting captured on social media CTV News
• Canada shooting: Manhunt as police officers killed in Moncton BBC News
• Justin Bourque’s best friend remembers their last bizarre encounter National Post
• Bourque brothers graduate on same day (2008) The Village News

Young Female Murder Suspect Claims 'At Least 22 Victims'

Miranda Barbour, Monster
Police mugshot

February 16, 2014 - She was influenced by a satanic cult in Alaska, and her acts were truly hellish. She started killing at the tender age of 13 and just kept going. Now 19 years old, Miranda Barbour says she has killed at least 22 people.

"A Pennsylvania newlywed accused of meeting a man on Craigslist and then stabbing him to death with her husband's help," reports the New York Daily News, "said she killed more than 20 more people as part of her involvement in a bloodthirsty satanic cult."

"When I hit 22, I stopped counting," Barbour told the Sunbury, Pa., Daily Item newspaper in a chilling jailhouse interview Friday. "I can pinpoint on a map where you can find them," she boasted . "I remember everything. It is like watching a movie."

Elytte Barbour, December 2013
AP photo via Daily Mail

Barbour and her husband Elytte, 22, both face the death penalty for fatally stabbing 42-year old married man Troy LaFerrara on Nov. 11. "Miranda lured the lonely 42-year-old with a Craigslist ad offering 'companionship'," says NY Daily News, "and the two met in the parking lot of a shopping mall before driving to a spot in Sunbury, authorities said." Miranda Barbour was 18 when she and Elytte were arrested for the murder of LaFerrara in December, 2013.

"Miranda Barbour...told police that Troy LaFerrara....was still alive - 'choking and gasping for air' - after she stabbed him 20 times," reported the Daily Mail last December. "Initially, Miranda told police that she killed La Ferrara in self-defense after he started to grope her. But her 22-year-old husband Elytte Barbour gave police a different story, saying they conspired to kill a stranger together, and he helped hold La Ferrara down while his wife wielded the knife."

"Police allege in court papers that Elytte Barbour told investigators they committed the crime because they wanted to kill someone together," according to an AP report. "Miranda Barbour said in [an] interview that she doesn't want to get out of jail and that she would kill again if she were released. She said she had no remorse and only killed 'bad people'."

Must-Read: Barbour body count at 22? The Daily Item

With No Gun, Crazed Man Slaughters Five in Brooklyn

Police lead the suspected killer away
from the Brooklyn murder scene.
Photo: Paul Martinka / New York Post

October 27, 2013 - Horror in New York, on Saturday night: A mother and four children were stabbed to death in an apartment on 57th Street near Ninth Avenue. A machete and scissors were taken from the apartment by police as evidence. 

"A crazed man turned a Sunset Park, Brooklyn, home into a slaughterhouse late Saturday, leaving a 37-year-old mom and her four young children stabbed to death," reports the New York Post. "A 25-year-old suspect - preliminarily identified as the children’s mentally troubled older cousin - was arrested after being subdued at the scene, his feet bare and soaked in blood."

"The toddler and two girls....were already dead from their wounds when paramedics arrived just after 11 p.m.," reports New York Daily News. The mother and [a] boy were taken to local hospitals, "but doctors were unable to save them, officials said."

Police released the five victims' names on Sunday: 37-year-old Qiao Zhen Li and her children, 9-year-old Linda Zhuo, 7-year-old Amy Zhuo, 5-year-old Kevin Zhuo, and 1-year-old William Zhuo.

Nobody has yet called for a national discussion about knife or blade control. There have been no calls in the past for tighter controls on how the mentally ill obtain sharp objects such as steak knives, machetes, ice picks and other potentially dangerous non-guns things.

Update 2: Witness Says Sparks Middle School Shooter Wore School Uniform

HERO: Teacher Michael Landsberry
died while protecting students

October 21, 2013 - A teen aged gunman shot and killed a math teacher, wounded two 12-year old male students at Sparks Middle School in Nevada around 7:15 this morning. The "gunman," a 12-year old 7th grader at the school, then fatally shot himself with his 9-millimeter Ruger seminautomatic handgun.

Update: The teacher killed in the attack was Michael Landsberry, 45, a former US Marine and member of the Nevada Air National Guard. He is survived by his wife and two step-daughters. More...

Update, Oct. 25: The 12-year old shooter has been identified as Jose Reyes. Tthe city of Sparks released the 12-year-old boy’s name on Thursday afternoon (Oct. 24). "The Reno Gazette-Journal had requested the name Tuesday after Sparks police said in a news conference they would not release it," reports the Reno Gazette-Journal. "The RGJ editorial board called on Sparks to release the name, arguing that Sparks police needed to follow the state’s public records laws."

The two wounded students were taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in critical condition. One is out of surgery and the other is doing well, reports Associated Press.

A witness to the Sparks Middle School shooting, 13-year old Kyle Nucum, describes the shooting in this video:

“We heard a pop, like a loud pop, and everybody was screaming and the teacher came to investigate,” Nucum told RGJ Media this morning. “I thought it was a firecracker at first, but the student was pointing a gun at the teacher after the teacher told him to put it down, and the student fired a shot at the teacher and the teacher fell and everybody ran away. And we ran across the field to get somewhere safe and while we were running we heard about four or five more shots and we just got somewhere safe. This lady let us into her house.”

Another student who saw the shooting said, “I heard him saying, ‘Why you people making fun of me, why you laughing at me.’” More at RGJ.com...

Classes at Spark Middle School have been cancelled for the rest of the week. Sparks is located just east of Reno (see map).

Also See:

• Timeline for Sparks Middle School shooting  - Reno Gazette-Journal
• Sparks students say school shooter may have been bullied LA Times
• Shooting at middle school in Sparks, Nev.: Slain teacher identified LA Times
• Gang Members Arrested For Beating 12-year-old Boy - KTVN
• How an Armed Assistant Principal Stopped a School Shooter - Chicago News Bench

Update #6: Chicago More Violent, But Media Obsesses On Santa Monica Shooting Spree

June 8, 2013 (1:00 AM CDT) - By Santa Monica standards, Friday was horrific. Five people were killed, including a crazed gunman, and five others wounded in Santa Monica, CA. One victim was hospitalized in critical condition.

By Chicago standards, that's a quiet weekend. At 4:40 PM on Saturday, I am listening to the Chicago PD scanner frequencies and hearing numerous reports of "man with a gun," "shots fired" and other mayhem. At least 13 people shot citywide mid-way through the weekend in Chicago (details at the Chicago Tribune). Keep in mind that in addition to people being shot, there are others being knifed, beaten with fists and blunt instruments, raped and robbed.

Update, 3:15 AM CDT, June 10: Make that 18 shot, two of which died...

While all that is happening, the national news media is obsessing on Friday's shootings in Santa Monica. Battlefield Chicago is more violent, but it is being overlooked. 

The Santa Monica killer, now dead, was a crazed individual with a semi-automatic rifle. His first two victims were his own brother and father. He fired at the house they were in, causing the house to catch fire. "As the house burst into flames, the man wounded a woman in a car before moving toward the campus, spraying bullets as he went. Police said he opened fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles, as well as bystanders and pedestrians," reports CBS News.

"As the house burst into flames, the man wounded a woman in a car before moving toward the campus, spraying bullets as he went," says CBS. "Police said he opened fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles, as well as bystanders and pedestrians." He continued on, killing the driver of an SUV and two of its passengers, and then mortally wounded a woman on the Santa Monica College campus. (She died at a nearby hospital.) Police made their way into the library, where they fatally shot the gunman.

Chicago: Crying for the Dying

The media initially reported the death toll as six or seven. After the dust settled, however, authorities downgraded that to four. So, four dead. Five wounded, one critically. A horrific day in Santa Monica.

The City That Bleeds

By Chicago standards, four dead and five wounded is a slow Friday night. As a total, it would be considered a very quiet weekend in The City That Bleeds.

Update, 01:15 AM, June 8: Moments after we published this post, we learned that there was another shooting in Chicago shortly after midnight.  Reports indicated two victims were shot, one in his head and one in his chest, on W. Lake Street at N. Central Park. At 1:49 AM, the Chicago Tribune posted a story online. (As of 3:15 AM on Monday morning, there were two dead plus another 16 wounded.)

With that in mind, add two more to the headline below. 

Consider this June 7 headline from CBS2 Chicago: "At Least 8 Wounded In City Shootings Since Friday Afternoon." TGIF, the weekend has just begun. Highlights from that June 7 story:

• "Three to five people were wounded during a Friday evening shooting in West Englewood..."
• "In the Gage Park neighborhood, a man was critically wounded in a possible drive-by shooting about 8:15 p.m., police said. The 19-year-old was shot multiple times in the chest and back....and listed in critical condition late Friday."
• "A man was critically wounded in the Edgewater neighborhood about 8 p.m. [The victim] was shot in the mouth in the 5400 block of North Magnolia Avenue. He was taken in critical condition to Illinois Masonic, fire media said."
• "In the Austin neighborhood, a male was shot in the ankle about 7:30 p.m...."
• A 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg "when a white SUV approached and a person got out and shot him about 3:30 p.m., police said." The boy is thought to be a gang member "who was shouting gang slogans at the passing SUV, which contained rival gang members, a police source said."
• "In the South Shore neighborhood, a teenage boy was shot in the arm about 1:50 p.m." and taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Bad, right? Consider this headline from the day before, on Thursday, June 6, from ABC7 Chicago: "2 killed; 7, including boy, 9, hurt in Chicago shootings." Also consider this one, on May 30 from CBS News: "Four dead and 11 injured in shootings since Wednesday afternoon." Those stories of slaughter and mayhem happened on weekdays. The weekends in Chicago are even worse. Google "violent weekend in Chicago" and see for yourself.

Say a prayer for the four dead and five wounded in Santa Monica. Please also pray for the thousands of Chicagoans, dead and wounded. Pray that Chicago makes it through another, predictably violent weekend.

Also See:

• How Many Murders Happen on Chicago Weekends? Chicago Magazine
• Tracking Homicides in Chicago RedEye
• Violence is the problem, not guns Chicago Tribune

Woman Stabs Baby to Death, Then Stabs Herself, at Diplomat Motel, Chicago (Updated)

Diplomat Motel (Photo: A Chicago Sojourn)

May 30, 2013 - Half a dozen Chicago police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape indicated that something was wrong at the Diplomat Motel late this morning.

Police officers and their vehicles, some parked at crazy angles across the street from a Dominick's grocery story, guarded a quiet homicide scene at 5230 N. Lincoln Avenue.

"A 5-month-old baby boy was killed and his mother seriously wounded," reports the Chicago Tribune, quoting authorities, "in an apparent murder-suicide attempt at a motel on North Lincoln Avenue this morning."

Israeli Policy Could Have Saved Lives In the Newtown School Shooting

Dec. 14, 2012 - The horrific shooting today at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut [map] left at least 28 dead, including the shooter. At least 20 of those killed were children. The shooter, 20-year old Adam Lanza. One of the adult victims was Nancy Lanza, the killer's own mother, who worked at the school. What could have been done to stop the shooter and save some lives? Before we continue, I'll just remind you that the police responded with guns. That's right, the cops had guns.

Here are some of the ineffective things that actually happened today:

Principal Dawn Hochsprung and the school psychologist leapt out of their seats and ran out of the room to help, Ms. Day, a therapist at the school said. "They didn't think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on," she said, reports The Wall Street Journal. Ms. Hochsprung was one of those killed in the attack.

Image taken from Twitter: Attribution unknown

"One parent who was in the school at the time of the shooting," reports CNN, "said she heard a 'pop, pop, pop,' sound around 9:30 a.m. In the room with her were Hochsprung, the vice principal and Sherlach. All three left the room and went into the hall to see what was happening. The parent ducked under the table and called 911."

What should have happened: Somebody could have shot Adam Lanza, stopping him in his tracks. Unfortunately, it seems, nobody in the school was armed. Schools are known to law enforcement as being attractive targets for criminally insane people bent on killing. That fact makes it hard to understand why so few schools have armed guards to protect the children and staff.

The Attorney General of Texas, Greg Abbott says schools should have armed personnel. He told the Houston Chronicle today that "the common denominator for the school shootings in Aurora, Columbine and Virginia Tech is that we have a target-rich environment," and "You have a shooter that is completely free to go about his sick fantasy. We need to do what it takes to change that." He also told the Chronicle that, "Had there been [armed security guard and citizens] in Colorado, at Virginia Tech or now in Connecticut - someone that could have changed the dynamic and to do so by having a firearm - there would be fewer lives lost."  Is Greg Abbot right? Ask the Israelis. 

John McAfee Gets a Break, Sells His Life Story, Misses the U.S.

UPDATE, 12-12-2012:  
Guatemala Deports John McAfee to U.S.; Heads for Miami FL

Dec. 10, 2012 - Wacky ex-fugitive antivirus software guru John McAfee, in detention, gets a break from his Guatemalan captors, reports Stuff.co.nz:

US software pioneer John McAfee, facing deportation from Guatemala to Belize to answer questions over the death of a neighbour, has bought himself some time with legal appeals, the Guatemalan government said on Sunday. McAfee's lawyers have filed a request with a local court to grant him leave to stay in Guatemala until his legal appeals against deportation have been settled, which could take months.

"The government of Guatemala respects the courts and we have to wait for them to make a decision," said Francisco Cuevas, a spokesman for the Guatemalan government.  More at Stuff...  

John McAfee, The Busy Prisoner (stuff.co.nz)

McAfee, 67, has not just been sitting on his butt while behind bars. The Hollywood Reporter says that "Montreal-based Impact Future Media says it has secured the exclusive IP rights to the embattled anti-virus pioneer" and that a spokesman for Future Media says "they inked the deal with McAfee last week and hopes to exploit his life story across a range of media including film, print and TV."

All well and good, I suppose, assuming that McAfee is not guilty of killing his neighbor back in Belize.

McAfee certainly seems optimistic, going so far as to say that he hopes to return to the United States once his ongoing ordeal ends. In an online news conference Sunday from Guatemala, McAfee said the following:

"Have I considered returning to the U.S.? Absolutely that is my only hope now. It is clear, in the last few weeks since I started my blog, that I cannot ever return to Belize. My blog, the issues that I am discussing, are hurting the government, they are hurting tourism, tourism accounts for over 70 per cent of all the employment in Belize. The government was mad at me before; they're seriously mad at me now." More at Big News Network....

McAfee the optimist is also realistic: He said that if he was to be returned to Belize to face criminal charges, there would be "no hope for my life." In the meantime, it looks as though McAfee just might enjoy Christmas in jail.

Previous Post: John McAfee Arrested in Guatemala, Asylum Denied, Has Heart Attack

John McAfee Arrested in Guatemala, Asylum Denied, Has Heart Attack

UPDATE, 12-12-2012:  
Guatemala Deports John McAfee to U.S.; Heads for Miami FL

John McAfee at a detention center in Guatemala City, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.
(AP Photo/Guatemala's Human Rights Ombudsman's office) (AP2012)

Dec. 6, 2012 - Once-fugitive computer guru John McAfee, 67, was arrested by Interpol in Guatemala last night. He was hospitalized today for a possible heart attack. Watch the arrest of McAfee in the video below.

McAfee's request for asylum has been denied and he will be extradicted to Belize, where he is wanted in connection with the death of fellow expat American Gregory Viant Faull, who was found shot to death early last month on a Belize island where they lived. Faull moved to Belize from Florida, and "was found dead in his beachfront house on an island in Belize shortly after McAfee's dogs were poisoned. Faull had led a neighborhood petition drive against the dogs, describing them as a dangerous nuisance," reports UPI. "McAfee moved to Belize in 2008, 14 years after he sold his interest in McAfee Associates, the computer security firm he founded in 1987."

According to a report by Fox News Latino, McAfee "was arrested at a hotel in an upscale neighborhood with the help of Interpol agents, hours after he said he would seek asylum in the Central American country."

The arrest ends one of the most oddball manhunts in recent memory. McAfee is the creator of McAfee antivirus software. Ironically, it was computer software that led to his arrest. McAfee admits to entering Guatemala illegally.

WATCH VIDEO OF MCAFEE'S ARREST IN GUATEMALA BELOW

"Vice Magazine accidentally revealed the secret hiding place of fugitive computer virus pioneer John McAfee," reports Gawker.

"We learned this on Monday when Vice posted a photo of McAfee posing with editor-in-chief Rocco Castoro and forgot to scrub the GPS coordinates, revealing his precise location." See that photo at Vice.

The irony is rich: Computer software genius foiled by genius computer software. The stupidity is too: You'd would think that somebody like McAfee, who should be up on the latest geek trends and developments, would have been hip to the realities of digital photography and of GPS technology. Maybe he was just got too cocky. He'd better learn some humility before he's handed over to the Belize authorities.

College Station Shooter Was Male, 35, Still Unidentified

Photo: KVUE News

Here is the first News Release, about the shooting near Texas A&M, from the City of College Station, Texas. It was posted at 5:30 p.m. CDT, about the shooting near Texax A&M's campus early this afternoon. They are calling it the "Fidelity Street Shooting."

On Aug. 13 at approximately 12:12 p.m. officers with the College Station Police Department responded to the 200 block of Fidelity for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers found a Brazos County Constable down in front of a residence on Fidelity. The suspect in this case, engaged the officers with gunfire over a period of approximately 30 minutes before he was shot by a College Station Officer. The following individuals were transported to the College Station Medical Center:

• Brazos County Precinct 1 Constable Brian Bachmann – pronounced dead at the hospital
• Male suspect approximately 35 years – identity withheld – pronounced dead at the hospital
• Male victim - approximately 65 years old – identity withheld – pronounced dead at the hospital
• Female victim - approximately 55 years old – identity withheld – in surgery
• College Station Police Officer – identity withheld - gunshot to the leg – non-life threatening injury
• College Station Police Officer – identity withheld - non-life threatening injury

An additional College Station officer was injured but refused transport to the hospital. As a result of the initial investigation, detectives have determined that Constable Bachmann had gone to a residence located at 211 Fidelity to serve eviction papers.

Multiple state and local agencies are assisting the College Station Police Department in the continued investigation regarding this incident. Updates will be provided as soon as they become available.

SOURCE

R.I.P., Constable Brian Bachmann, Killed In Line of Duty

Brian Bachmann (Photo: Facebook)

August 13, 2012 - College Station, TX - One of the three shooting victims to die just blocks from the Texas A&M campus was Constable Brian Bachmann, 41. Bachmann (photo) was a member of the Brazos County Sheriff's Department for 19 years. He was the Constable for Precinct 1, which included his home town of College Station. He was a Republican.

According to WBRC/Fox, Bachmann was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital "shortly after he was shot." He apparently died in the line of duty.

Bachmann was reportedly shot five times. According to the Facebook page of the City of College Station, "The two CSPD officers taken to local hospitals are said to have non-life threatening injuries." That update was posted at approximately 3:45 p.m. CDT.

A subsequent update at 5:00 p.m. CDT said that "three CSPD officers were injured, but only one by gunfire. That officer was shot in the leg and is being treated for the non-life threatening injury. A second officer was transported, but for injuries *unrelated* to gunfire. A third officer also was injured (again, not from gunfire) during the response, but did not require transport to a hospital."

A 5:30 p.m. news release from the City of College Station said this: "On Aug. 13 at approximately 12:12 p.m. officers with the College Station Police Department responded to the 200 block of Fidelity for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers found a Brazos County Constable [Brian Bachmann] down in front of a residence on Fidelity. The suspect in this case, engaged the officers with gunfire over a period of approximately 30 minutes before he was shot by a College Station Officer." Full news release here...

Police "were unsure why the constable responded to the call, although witnesses told KBTX the constable had arrived to evict the shooter," said WBRC/Fox.

Brazos County Constable District 1

According to the Brazos County Constable's Office, a primary duty of a constable is to "insure that all civil process is served in a diligent manner." That includes serving an eviction notice, as Bachmann was apparently attempting to do.

"When police arrived on the scene, Bachmann was already down in the suspect's yard," reports WBRC/Fox. According to their report, law enforcement officers "responded to a call of shots fired and were met with gunfire on the scene, then called for backup.

A CSPD spokesman said that the officer fatally shot the gunman, who is described as male.

Constables in Brazos County, TX "are elected by the registered voters in their own precinct." The Constables Department, says the Brazos County website, "is part of the  is the chief process server of the justice court; provides state-wide jurisdiction to execute any criminal processes; and provides county-wide jurisdiction to execute any civil processes."

There are four constabulary precincts in Brazos County. "Constables are the only Law Enforcement mandated by the Texas Constitution which makes them truly indeed 'The People’s Police Officer'." For more about the constables of Brazos County, see their website.

Brian Bachmann became a Certified Peace Officer in 1992 and held an Advanced Peace Officer Certificate. He became a Brazos County Sheriff's Deputy in 1993.

Bachmann won his election to become Precinct 1's Constable on November 2, 2010. The following day, he posted this on his "Elect Brian Bachmann for Constable Precinct 1 Brazos County" page on Facebook:

Bachmann (right) is sworn in, January 1, 2011 (Facebook)

"We did it!!! We did it!!! Thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement!! I could not have accomplished this without everyone!! I hope to see everyone soon at the Victory Party!! "

He was sworn in on January 1, 2011 and posted this to his Facebook page:

"Well it's official. I was sworn in as Constable of Precinct One in Brazos County this morning. I want to thank everyone that helped with the campaign, you are the best!! Now it's time to get to work and start building the most professional Constables Office. My door will always be open to everyone, and I expect visitors!! Thank you again to everyone for all the encouragement and support! Brian"

Brian Bachmann was a man dedicated to helping others and improving the safety of his community. As with any peace officer who dies in the line of duty, it was the job that he loved so much that ultimately got him killed. May Constable Brian Bachmann rest in peace, and may God watch over his wife and two young children.

UPDATED: At Least Three Dead in Texas A&M Shooting

August 13, 2012 - UPDATED, 3:05 PM CDT - At least three shooting victims have died in College Station, TX near the campus of Texas A&M College early this afternoon. The suspected shooter, who was firing an automatic weapon from a house near  was arrested at 12:45 pm CDT.

UPDATING NUMBER OF DECEASED:
Three people are dead from today's shooting:
- Constable Brian Bachmann
- The shooter (name not yet released)
- A civilian who PD says was a bystander
~ Source: City of College Station Facebook Page at 2:50 p.m. CDT

One suspect was arrested (later information says the suspect was shot and killed by police) near the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, TX near Fidelity Street. The "active shooter" is thought to be the only gunman at this time. An number of people,  possibly including police officers, have been shot. According to some media reports, police were heard over scanners to specify the location as being near Fidelity and Highland streets, where a  shooter was thought to be firing automatic weapons from a house.  The number and full extent of injuries still being assessed. The suspected shooter was arrested at 12:45 pm Central Daylight Time.

UPDATE, 3:45 p.m. CDT:  FoxNews: "Local station KBTX and KHOU in Houston reported the suspect had also been killed, citing the College Station Police Department. Police confirmed shortly before the report the suspect had been shot by police.  No information was released about the suspect or his or her possible motive for the shooting." More at Fox...

From Texas A&M Website: http://emergency.tamu.edu/

Minutes earlier, at 12:29 p.m., Texas A&M issued a "Code Maroon" alert,  warning people to "avoid the area immediately southeast of the intersection of Welborn Rd and George Bush Drive. Please avoid the area. Residents in the immediate area need to remain inside their residence." (Click on graphic, left.)

Oddly, however, there was no mention of this incident on Texas A&M's page on Facebook.

An update at 1:31 pm CDT from KBTX TV in College Station says that CSPD says "a suspect has been taken into custody and the scene is reportedly under control and there is no longer a danger to the public."

A 12:55 p.m. update from CSPD said that there is no confirmation yet on the identities of the victims "or whether or not any are members of local law enforcement agencies." More at KBTX...

MULTIPLE SHOOTING NEAR TEXAS A&M CAMPUS

August 13, 2012 - For updated info about this story, please see the following posts on Chicago News Bench:

• R.I.P., Constable Brian Bachmann, Killed Near Texas A&M Today
• College Station Shooter Was Male, 35, Still Unidentified
• UPDATED: At Least Three Dead in Texas A&M Shooting

Rap Song Urges Race Riots and "Lynch That Cracker" George Zimmerman

Well, isn't this special? A piece of rap crap, inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin, these nice fellows are urging people to "start a riot" and - in reference to Martin's accused killer George Zimmerman - to "lynch that cracker." I wonder if Al Sharpton sings this ditty in the shower?

All black in my hoodie
All black in my hoodie
Strapped up with them AKs
F--k protesters
Let’s start a riot
Fight, let’s start a riot

That's "All Black In My Hoodie." The "artist" is Haitian-born Zoeja Lajan Jean, also known as "Zoeja Jean," who lives in Florida City, Florida.

He just wants justice, justice, MP3 sales, don'tcha know, and more justice even if it means inciting racially charged lynch mobs taking the law into their own murderous hands, starting riots and killing  anyone who gets in their way.

Zoeja Jean hurriedly put out "All Black In My Hoodie," which has got to be one of crappiest pieces of audio manure ever recorded by anybody for any reason in any medium. (Yes, I'm certain that Al Sharpton sings this in the shower.)

But look, surely you can understand that this is frustrating for those want real, vigilante street justice. Where's your sensitivity?

Can you blame Zoeja Jean for these inflammatory lyrics?

If we don’t do s–t
And lynch that cracker
Six months later
They gonna kill another brother

Source: The Black Sphere

A note about "that cracker" line from the lyrics. "Cracker," of course, is a word that some Black people use because, pitifully, they incorrectly think it insults White people. It really doesn't. Most Honkie-Americans just kind of nervously laugh it off when they are called crackers. As Mytheos Holt pointed out in his March 29 article on The Blaze, the "cracker" referred to is most likely George Zimmerman.

"Apparently," wrote Holt, "either the reference to lynching has now been explicitly adopted by Martin’s more violent supporters, or Zoeja Jean has gone off the reservation with this wording. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for this already excessively violent case. Tempers are flaring, and the most irresponsible observers of this tragedy appear to be doing everything they can to encourage that."

I wonder if Obama has downloaded this tune yet. Maybe Sharpton can upload a copy to him.

Related:

• Zoeja Jean's Trayvon Martin Rap Track Calls for a Racially Charged, Counterproductive "Riot" (miaminewtimes.com)

Chicago, Death Trap For Children

Chicago's streets are bloody
(Chicago News Bench photo)

The Homeless Patriot has some sharp comments about the high number of children who are killed in Chicago every year.

Says HP, "Chicago's overall murder rate is horrible. Recently, Chicago officials bragged that the local murder rate was down, but that's a bit like a pest control guy bragging that the dozen rats he killed today has reduced the local vermin population." HP goes on to quote two great articles.

Check it out at Homeless Patriot's post "Chicago Is Deadliest City for Children..."

Related articles

• Only 30 Percent Of Last Year's Murders Have Been Solved (chicago.cbslocal.com)
• Murder Rate Down Everywhere In Chicago But Englewood (chicago.cbslocal.com)

Police Charge Two In Edgewater Narco Murders

February 28, 2011 - Chicago - Last Saturday night's massacre in the Edgewater neighborhood was the scene of a virtual police lockdown after officers found the bodies of two people and one badly injured person in an apartment. The dead victims' throats had been slashed. An ensuing chase resulted in the fatal police shooting of one suspect, Arturo Ibarra, who died on the street at N. Greenview and W. Devon. Police are now charging two other suspects in connection with the Edgewater murders, which are believed to have been the result of a nightmarish narcotics deal. The two being charged are Augustin Toscano and Raul Segura-Rodriguez. Both men face multiple charges. See Related Articles below. There will be a special public meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the criminal activity of last Saturday. Alderman Mary Ann Smith and police officials will present information and answer questions at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway Street (map), just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. Smith's 48th Ward includes the part of Edgewater in which the alleged drug deal and murders took place and where the pursuit of Ibarra began (Ibarra was killed in the 40th Ward, at N. Greenview and W. Devon). RELATED ARTICLES: Neighbors shaken by double murder, cop shootout ABC Chicago Edgewater Shooting Suspects Charged, May Be Suspected of More Killings Chicagoist Charges against 2 suspected members of crew linked to dozen slayings Chicago Breaking News

Murder Spree, Police Shooting Causes Chicago Alderman To Hold Special Meeting

February 27, 2011 - Chicago - Gruesome murders in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood yesterday led police on a short but wild chase that resulted in the fatal shooting of a suspect. For more on this story, see today's Chicago Sun-Times article "Man killed by police suspected in 13 other murders: sources" here. The events were so extraordinary that 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith will hold a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss them. Ald. Smith sent an email blast that said this: "As many of you have already heard from the media, we had a serious and unusual police/criminal incident in Edgewater yesterday. Within our neighborhood, there were incidents on the 5800 block of Winthrop stretching to Devon Avenue. The police and our office will be available at 7:00 Monday Evening at the Broadway Armory to discuss with concerned residents what occurred." (MAP) The Armory is located at 5917 N. Broadway Street, just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. RELATED: Edgewater shooting leaves 3 dead, 2 wounded Loyola Student Dispatch Three dead, officer shot Edgewater Community Buzz 3 Dead, Officer Shot Chasing Murder Suspects on North Side MyFox Chicago Chicago Cop Shot, Injured On North Side, 3 Dead CBS Chicago

Cops Kill Suspected Robber on Chicago's North Side

Updated, 7:00 PM, February 27, 2011 - Gruesome murders in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood yesterday led police on a short but wild chase that resulted in the fatal shooting of a suspect. For more on this story, see today's Chicago Sun-Times article "Man killed by police suspected in 13 other murders: sources" here. The events were so extraordinary that 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith will hold a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss them. Ald. Smith sent an email blast today that said this: "As many of you have already heard from the media, we had a serious and unusual police/criminal incident in Edgewater yesterday. Within our neighborhood, there were incidents on the 5800 block of Winthrop stretching to Devon Avenue. The police and our office will be available at 7:00 Monday Evening at the Broadway Armory to discuss with concerned residents what occurred." (MAP) The Armory is located at 5917 N. Broadway Street, just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. Earlier Reports: February 26, 2011 - Chicago - What may have started as a robbery attempt just after 5:00 p.m. today near the Thorndale CTA Red Line station ended as a fatal police shooting on West Devon Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood. Details are still coming in. A person (sex unknown) robbed or attempted to rob a store in the 1100 block of W. Thorndale Avenue (map). That block is full of small shops, and is located just north of the Broadway Armory. Police chased the robbery suspect north until they confronted him/her in the 1400 block of W. Devon Avenue at N. Greenview Avenue, next to the Dollar Happy Store and across from the Citgo gas station (map). The suspect was fatally shot by police around 5:20 p.m. Traffic, as of 6:07 p.m., is still being diverted from that intersection. A report by Chicago Breaking News, oddly, omits any mention of the fatality in their 5:54 p.m. update. Chicago News Bench was at the shooting scene at Devon and Greenview and saw the body on the street, along with the red crime scene tape. Yellow tape is always used to cordon off a crime scene, but red tape is used only when there a homicide is involved. They did, however, report that one police was shot at the Thorndale scene "near the intersection of Glenlake Avenue and Broadway, and the officer was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in good condition." An update at 6:57 p.m. by The Chicago Tribune quotes witnesses as saying that the chase "ended with the truck trying to turn south on Greenview Avenue, where shots were fired."

Chicago Killings Continue Despite Useless Uptown Peace Vigil

We told you so, but we didn't need a crystal ball. We have been harshly critical of peace vigils in the past as being useless ceremonial rituals that accomplish nothing apart from offering a temporary (and false) sense by participants that they are "doing something to end violence." After last week's candlelight peace vigil at the scene of a July 28 fatal shooting in the 4500 block of N. Magnolia, we noted that it would do nothing to stop the wave of often-fatal violence in Chicago. Sometimes, we hate being right: August 2, 2010 - Chicago - At least 10 people were reported wounded overnight in separate shootings on the city's South and Northwest Sides, officials said. More at Chicago Breaking News... RELATED items from Chicago Breaking News: Autopsy: Englewood girl, 2, beaten to death August 2, 2010 Man shot, killed in West Pullman, August 1, 2010 2 killed, 2 wounded in drive-by shooting at South Side party, August 1, 2010 Woman shot in neck in domestic incident, August 1, 2010 RELATED from other sources: Best Friends Killed In Chicago And Another 14 Shot Global Grind (blog)

Was Murdered Chicago Cop Assassinated?

Was the murder of CPD Officer Michael R. Bailey this morning a hit? Was he assassinated? A lot of Chicago cops seem to think so. Several uniformed CPD officers were working the Windy City RibFest in Uptown this evening. I approached the group of seven. "I'm sorry to hear about the death of Officer Bailey," I said. "Thank you," three of them said simultaneously. Their gazes suddenly changed from suspicious anticipation to relaxed comraderie. Cops, after all, are more accustomed to taking verbal abuse than getting sympathy from a stranger on the street. "It's pretty weird that those guys chose a uniformed officer as a target in broad daylight," I said. They all nodded. All eyes were on me. "I don't think it was attempted robbery. They didn't want his car or his wallet," I said, "I think it was a hit. Officer Bailey, I think, was targeted for assassination." Seven nodding heads. "A lot of us think so too," one of the cops said. By "us," he didn't mean the officers standing there in front me. He meant "us" in the bigger sense. He was including all officers in the Chicago Police Department in "us." I have not seen this theory floated anywhere else - yet. Keep your eyes open, officers everywhere, and may God protect you all.