Free Republic

A 19-year-old man accidentally shot and killed himself Tuesday morning while he was attempting to rob a Grand Prairie home, authorities said. Cameron Sands, 19, of Fort Worth kicked in the door of the house and then shot himself in the stomach as he pulled a gun out of his pants to shoot the homeowner, Grand Prairie police said. The homeowner was not injured.

When a renegade Mormon sect was looking for a quiet place to live out its polygamous beliefs, it made a Texas-sized mistake when it picked this state to move to. Texas responded by raising the age at which children can legally get married with parental consent, and law enforcement agencies immediately put the sect in its crosshairs. The result was raids this month that left 463 minors in state hands or foster care. With judges saying they will hear abuse cases individually, the sect's practices are sure of thorough legal scrutiny. "They made a big mistake when they came here,"...

Thousands waited outside the Flour Bluff entrance to Naval Air Station-Corpus Christie, expecting a confrontation with the members of the Westboro Baptist Church members, but they never came. The crowd instead showed support for U. S. Soldiers.

(Dec. 26) -- This year’s death penalty bombshells — a de facto national moratorium, a state abolition and the smallest number of executions in more than a decade — have masked what may be the most significant and lasting development. For the first time in the modern history of the death penalty, more than 60 percent of all American executions took place in Texas. Over the past three decades, the proportion of executions nationwide performed in Texas has held relatively steady, averaging 37 percent. Only once before, in 1986, has the state accounted for even a slight majority of the...

In Joe Horn's now-infamous 911 call reporting the burglary of his neighbor's home last month, there's a particularly disturbing refrain that made many of us cringe. "I'm not going to let them get away with this," the Pasadena homeowner tells the dispatcher several times in various ways in the moments before he shot to death the two burglars, Miguel Antonio DeJesus, 28, and Diego Ortiz, 30. To many of us, Horn's preoccupation with stopping the crime and recovering the stolen property — "a bag of loot," as Horn described it — seemed irrational and vengeful rather than heroic. We agreed...

Video: http://www.breitbart.tv/html/8973.html Background: Protesters clash over Pasadena man who shot suspected burglars 04:00 PM CST on Monday, December 3, 2007 By Taylor Timmins / KHOU.com & The Associated Press Riot police were on the scene in a Pasadena neighborhood Sunday afternoon as a planned protest teetered on the brink of mayhem. Quanell X and his followers planned to meet in front of the home of Joe Horn, the man who shot and killed two suspected burglars at his neighbor’s home last month, in the 7400 block of Timberline for a protest around 3 p.m. But they were met with an...

Texas will almost certainly hit the grim total of 400 executions this month, far ahead of any other state, testament to the influence of the state's conservative evangelical Christians and its cultural mix of Old South and Wild West. "In Texas you have all the elements lined up. Public support, a governor that supports it and supportive courts," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "If any of those things are hesitant then the process slows down," said Dieter. "With all cylinders working as in Texas it produces a lot of executions." Texas has executed 398...

PORT ARTHUR, TX – A store clerk turned the tables on a man trying to rob the store at which she was working at 1701 Memorial Blvd. in Port Arthur Thursday Oct. 26. Port Arthur Police responded to a call that an unwanted individual was at 1629 Memorial Blvd. When police arrived and questioned the man, they discovered the 55-year-old had a warrant for a parole violation. He was placed in custody at that time. Shortly after apprehending the suspect, police learned he had attempted to rob the M&D Food Mart on Memorial. The suspect had pretended to have a...

HOUSTON -- Two people were shot during an attempted robbery at a game room in east Harris County Monday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Deputies said two men tried to rob the Eight Liner Video Game store, located in the 500 block of North Main at East Wallisville at about 5 a.m. The manager pulled out a gun and shot one of the robbers who then fired back, officials said. The second man escaped. The robbery suspect who was shot is expected to survive. The manager, who was shot in the arm, is also expected to be OK. A customer was...

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed a man who broke into his family's home Monday and threatened to kill him and his mother, Police Chief Bryan Smith said. Smith said the man, whose name was not immediately known, confronted a woman as she was carrying groceries into her home shortly before 1 p.m. The man forced her inside and tied her and her son up. Smith said the woman was able to loosen the binding and free her son, who got his father's revolver from a security box beneath a bed. As the man tried to break into the room...

A man suffered injuries when he was struck with an unknown weapon after he reportedly shot at a burglar who was trying to break into his car late Monday. According to the Amarillo Police Department, Michael Ray Howard heard a disturbance in the front yard of his home in the 4800 block of Southwest 57th Avenue about 10:40 p.m., and, when he went outside, he saw a person attempting to break into his vehicle. When Howard approached his vehicle, the burglar displayed some type of weapon, police said, and Howard then fired one shot at the burglar with a handgun....

Fighting back Woman defends herself from attack with gun A 38-year-old woman staying at the Homewood Suites in Wichita Falls turned the tables Tuesday night on a potential attacker in the parking lot. The woman's father said she pulled her .380 automatic pistol on the man, who came up behind her as she was getting sinus medicine from her van about 9 p.m. He gave the following information about the incident: The man asked her, "Do you have anything good in that van?" The woman knew she was in trouble. She told him yes and moved to the front passenger-side...

BEAUMONT, TEXAS – Beaumont Police officers responded to the 6000 block of Major Dr. Sept. 15 at approximately 8:37 p.m. on reports of a home invasion. Once officers arrived at the scene, the alleged perpetrators had already been apprehended … by the victim. According to the victim, he was in his residence when he heard a knock at the door. When the door was opened, two Hispanic men allegedly forced their way into the home, brandishing knives. The victim stated that, at that time, the two suspects demanded money. The victim went to the bedroom, followed by one of the...

A Thornton man shot an intruder who tried to break into his home early Friday morning as he was on the phone with 9-1-1 waiting for sheriff’s deputies to arrive. Vincent Llanas called the Milam County Sheriff’s Office at 12:32 a.m. Friday, saying a man was trying to open the door to his home on County Road 433, according to a statement from the department. While Llanas spoke with the dispatcher, the suspected intruder, Joel Warren Simank, 30, of Thornton, broke a window and tried to unlock the front door, according to the statement. Llanas grabbed a .12-gauge shotgun and...

BEAUMONT, TEXAS – At 5:30 a.m. Sept. 9, Beaumont Police responded to a burglary call at a residence in the 6200 block of Yaupon Street. Upon arrival, officers noticed the house appeared to have been hit by gunfire. According to the victim, he awoke after hearing a noise in his home. He grabbed his gun, investigated further and found an intruder in the house. When the suspect saw the victim, he ran. The victim then fired three shots in the house at the suspect. He missed. The suspect ran out of the house and got into a green Ford. The...

SEGUIN — As most families were sleeping soundly early Labor Day morning, a local homeowner shot and killed a man who smashed through the back door of his home. “The homeowners, who were asleep, awoke to a living nightmare,” said Seguin Police Department public information officer Aaron Seidenberger. “A person had broken into their home, and now they were violently struggling to get the suspect to leave.” After breaking into the home at 798 Renee St. at 5:20 a.m., the man made his way down the hallway to the homeowners’ bedroom, where the husband and wife awoke. The male homeowner...

FORT WORTH - An apparent burglary attempt at an east Fort Worth apartment turned violent Monday when a man who lives in the apartment shot at the intruder as many as nine times with the intruder's gun, police said. Despite being shot, the intruder walked out and either drove away or was driven away by an accomplice, said Fort Worth Police Lt. Gene Jones. Jones said a man with gunshot wounds checked into Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital later that afternoon, but police had not said late Monday whether he is a suspect. A Harris spokeswoman declined to confirm that...

MIDLAND, Texas- Directors of the Midland Independent School District discussed the possibility Tuesday of dropping Confederate references at two schools named for Robert E. Lee in response to a parent's complaint. The board directed school officials to consider changing Robert E. Lee Freshman High School's yearbook to something other than "The Confederate." It also asked officials to consider changing the "Dixie" fight song at Lee Freshman and at Robert E. Lee High School. Parent Shay Templeton, who is black, complained after noticing the name of her son's yearbook. She said she wants all references to the Confederacy eliminated from school...

A clerk fatally shot a masked gunman in an exchange of gunfire at an east Dallas convenience store late Tuesday, police said. Anthony Jerome Davis, 17, died at 12:43 a.m. at Baylor Medical Center of Dallas, said Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther, a Dallas police spokeswoman. The shooting occurred at 9:32 p.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of St. Augustine Road, Crowther said. ``Apparently, this man came into the store wearing a mask,'' Crowther said. ``The store clerks realized immediately that they were about to be robbed, so they took cover behind the counters. ``The man said, `Don't run,' and fired...

A home invasion leads to a shootout in East Austin leaving one man dead, two others wounded. It happened on the 6100 block of Duchess in a neighborhood off of MLK Boulevard and Highway 183 just after 2 a.m. Friday. Detectives just took down the crime tape at the house, but they have a mess on their hands with three crime scenes, three people involved and one man dead and two others hospitalized. Neighbors woke up to police dogs, flashing lights and a murder scene. "I only heard gun shots, and then I heard people fighting and I didn't realize...

A man who was part of a group attempting to break into a house is dead this morning after the homeowner took matters into his own hands. The homeowner told police that around 3 a.m. he saw three men trying to kick in the front door of his house in the 2500 block of Summit Creek. He said he got his gun and fired about eight rounds. One of the men was hit several times. He ran off and collapsed in the 1100 block of Summit Crest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two men escaped. Police...

A suspect is in custody after a store owner walked in on him in the middle of a burglary. It happened on the North Freeway near Little York in northwest Houston. Police say the owner raced back to his store Friday night after an alarm went off. The owner and the suspect shot at each other. No one was hit. A police K-9 unit found the suspect hiding nearby.

Teenaged Burglar Shot By Homeowner GWINNETT COUNTY -- Police say a man shot and wounded a teenager he found in his home – attempting to rob him. Police say 27-year-old Ronald Ramsey arrived at his Lawrenceville home Tuesday afternoon and found 17-year-old Alrazi Basher of Duluth inside, robbing him. Officials say when Basher tried to flee the home, Ramsey shot at Basher and hit him and his vehicle. (More...) Clerk fatally shoots robber at liquor store A liquor store clerk shot and killed one of two armed men who tried to rob the southwest Houston business Wednesday night, police said....

FALFURRIAS - Police said a man trying to rob a Falfurrias convenience store is dead and the store owner pulled the trigger. Authorities tell 6 News, 20-year-old Alfredo Sanchez was shot while trying to rob the Saddle Horn Market Saturday night. Police said the owner of the store shot Sanchez after he pulled a gun on the sales clerk. The owner told police Sanchez ran from the store. He wasn't even sure if he had actually hit Sanchez. His body was found Sunday morning in an empty field across the street from the store. At this point no charges have...

FORT WORTH -- A 20-year-old man was shot four times Monday while forcing his way into an apartment in southwest Fort Worth, police said. On Tuesday, he was recovering but facing assault charges. Jonathan Kirby, 20, was being treated at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital for gunshot wounds to his right foot, right thigh, right arm and the right side of his back, police said. Meanwhile, Kirby also faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the incident, which happened at about 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Coffee Creek Apartments, 6365 Hulen Bend Court, police said. According to...

A northeast Houston woman fatally shot an intruder early this morning after the man broke into her house, police said. She shot the man about 3:30 a.m. after he forced his way into the home in the 6000 of Bender near Kurt, police said. The woman left the house with her child but later returned after officers arrived at the scene. The man she shot was found lying in the kitchen. His identity has not been confirmed, police said. Another suspect drove away but apparently crashed his car and was forced to flee on foot. The incident remains under investigation,...

HOUSTON -- A woman shot her ex-boyfriend in self-defense, police told KPRC Local 2. Officers said the man showed up at the woman's home in the 2300 block of West Tidwell at Rosslyn at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. A fight ensued and the woman said the man went to the kitchen, got a knife and threw it at her, according to authorities. She then picked up a gun and shot him in the abdomen, police said. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital in stable condition. Police said the shooting appeared to be self-defense. No names were released.

The fatal shooting of an aggravated robbery suspect in the 1200 block of Canterlane about 3:30 a.m. today will be referred to a Harris County grand jury, Houston police said. The identity of the deceased suspect, who had been shot in the stomach, is pending notification of next of kin. The robbery victim is identified as Derriun Raney, 26. He suffered a cut on his head. Police said the suspect, dressed in black and wearing socks on his hands, knocked on the front door of Raney's residence. Raney, who had been asleep inside, opened the door with a pistol in...

Intruder Sent to Hospital After Home Owners Open Fire Home Owners Fight Back After Intruder Breaks In The quiet community of Ransom Canyon is shocked after a home invasion sends the victim and the attacker to the hospital. Ransom Canyon Police are investigating the overnight home invasion that sent two to the hospital Saturday morning. The intruder broke into the home and stabbed a 70-year-old man, but the home owners fought back. Police say the intruder broke into the home through a bedroom window thinking no one was home. "We are still investigating," stated Ransom Canyon Police Chief Wayne Ralls....

SAN ANTONIO -- An off-duty security guard opened fire on three men who were attempting to rob him, killing one of the men and wounding another, police said. Police identified the dead man as Rudy Perez, 21. The incident happened about 3 a.m. on Sunday in the 200 block of Navidad, shortly after Jino Velasquez, 23, arrived outside his home after working a shift as a security guard. Velasquez said three men pulled up in black Acura, and one of the men, Perez, walked toward him with a gun.

(3/11/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - Police in northwest Houston think a homeowner grabbed a gun to defend himself against a suspected intruder. It happened at a home on Arncliffe at Antoine late Friday night. Police say the suspected intruder was shot in the chest and rushed to a hospital. His condition is unknown. The homeowner was questioned but there's no word if he'll face any charges.

A man walking home from a neighborhood nightclub had to defend himself from an intruder that followed him to his Southwest Side apartment. Police said the man was walking to the apartment in the 400 block of Cropsey Avenue, near General Hudnell Drive, at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, when he noticed someone behind him. The man ran to his apartment, went inside and slammed the door. The suspect kicked in the door and knocked the victim to the floor. The victim got a gun, fired a shot and missed. The intruder ran away. Police are searching for him.

The Beaumont Police Department is in the 4200 block of El Paso investigating a home invasion. BPD tells Hometown News around 1:30 Thursday afternoon, two people entered a home on El Paso and fired at the homeowner. They say the homeowner fired one round back at the suspects—- hitting one of them. That man was transported by a friend to Christus St. Elizabeth’s hospital where police located him. He is being treated to a gunshot wound to the right arm. Officers were still looking for the second suspect when this story was updated at 3:40pm on KBTV4.tv. Police do no...

A northwest Houston father fought back and killed an armed intruder overnight. Police say three men forced their way into the unit at the apartment complex on West Tidwell near West Sun Forest. The armed men demanded money. The victim first tried to stop the men with a steak knife. The suspects then grabbed the homeowner's 12-month-old daughter and threw her down the stairs. Fortunately, the toddler is OK. One suspect pulled a gun, but the victim was able to get it away from him and shot him. Then the suspect pulled a second gun. The homeowner got it away...

DALLAS: INTRUDER SHOT (DALLAS, January 16) -- Dallas police say they won't press charges against a man who shot and killed an intruder in his neighbor's home in the 800 block of Anne Avenue. Neighbors say a 33 year-old man was acting erratically Saturday night at the intersection of Ann and Garland Avenues. Police say Michael Bonner kicked in the door of a woman's duplex and ran inside. Officers say the woman's next door neighbor followed Bonner inside with a gun and shot him. The case is being referred to a grand jury.

HOUSTON -- A homeowner fatally shot a man who refused to leave his southwest Houston home Monday night, KPRC Local 2 reported. Police said a couple was sitting inside their home when someone broke into the home on Lacy Street at Detering Street in the Rice Military area at about 9 p.m. "He came in armed with a bat, went through a side door, shattered the glass to make his way into the residence," Houston Police Department Homicide Detective Mike Walker said. The husband told the intruder he had a gun and to leave, but police said the intruder persisted...

A Hummer limo filled with people celebrating a birthday party turned into a wild ride early Sunday after a man attempted to steal it, San Antonio Police said. What the suspect did not realize was there were 15 people in the back of the limo. Twenty-one-year-old Noe Ochoa was arrested, police said. He was held down by people in the limo until officers arrived. Party-goers could not believe what was happening. “The Hummer starts to move and everybody's like, ‘What's going on?’” Kenneth Thornton said. His friends had rented the limo for Kenneth’s 28th birthday. The limo driver was apparently...

Ronald Ray Howard, 32, received a lethal injection just after 6 p.m. Thursday in the state’s death chamber in Huntsville. Howard was sentenced to die for the death of a state trooper. Howard was 18 and driving with a broken headlight when Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Bill Davidson stopped him. The 19-year DPS veteran and married father of two was shot in the neck and died three days later. The shooting happened the night of April 11, 1992 on U.S. Highway 59 in Jackson County, between Edna and Victoria.

<p>This is a new thread to which, hopefully, every freeper attending yesterday's rally in Crawford will add their observations.</p> <p>Personally, this was a great day in my view. It's hard to describe the atmosphere that enveloped this gathering. Some of the nicest people in the country were there, and nary a disgruntled face was seen.</p>

<p>Here I am again! I just got a call from the police in Crawford, and they have moved our location! (Are you believing this? ) I need to make another prominent announcement--and hope you will help one more time. What's your opinion about starting yet another thread? We already have two going, I think. Announcement: The Crawford police have changed our permit location.</p>

The president, in an official visit, met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to discuss ways of working together to protect democracy, human rights, the rule of law, fight terrorism, drug trafficking and promote development through economic growth and opportunity. He also met with Colombian youth Little League Players. One outcome of the APEC summit, Bush and China's President Hu Jintao discussed China, Taiwan, and North Korea. Writes a New Zealander, "Bush again hijacked the agenda at this year's Apec summit, using it to mount a new attack on the "Axis of Evil" nations North Korea and Iran. It was a...

Bush Pulls Top Security Agent From Fracas SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - President Bush stepped into the middle of a confrontation and pulled his lead Secret Service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering an elegant dinner for 21 world leaders Saturday night. Continues... One of US President George W. Bush 's Secret Service bodyguards (L) is prevented by Chilean security from entering the Mapocho cultural center where the APEC leaders attended an official dinner in Santiago(AFP/Martin Bernetti) AFP - Nov 20 11:47 PM Unidentified US and Chilean security agents argue after a US secret service agent was...

<p>President Bush stepped into the middle of a confrontation and pulled his lead Secret Service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering an elegant dinner for 21 world leaders Saturday night.</p> <p>Several Chilean and American agents got into a pushing and shoving match outside the cultural center where the dinner was held. Bush noticed the fracas after posing for pictures on a red carpet with the summit host, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife and first lady Laura Bush.</p>

DALLAS - An openly gay Hispanic women claimed victory Tuesday night in the race for Dallas County sheriff.Democrat Lupe Valdez, 57, is the first woman elected sheriff in the county. Valdez, a 28-year federal agent who worked on fraud, organized crime and drug cases, said her election proved Dallas County is an international county welcoming people of all backgrounds."Look at this room," she said at a victory rally. "All ethnic groups, all walks of life, rich or poor, gay or straight, whatever, we are an international town and this is what I bring to this."With 99 percent of precinct reporting,...

Due to the popularity of the Survivor shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled, "Survivor -Texas Style." The contestants will all start in Dallas, then drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, over to Houston and down to Brownsville. They will then proceed up to Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo. From there they will go on to Abilene, Fort Worth and finally back to Dallas. Each will be driving a pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read: I'm gay I love the Dixie Chicks Boycott Beef I voted for Al Gore George Strait Sucks Kerry in...

<p>Ken Charles, the Station Manager for 950KPRC in Houston (the largest talk station in Houston) just sent the CBS News VP all his nasty e-mails and told them that CBS will either fire Dan Rather by Monday and come completely clean on the matter or he will take CBS News off the air of his radio stations (he manages two of the largest in Houston).</p>

Moore film reaches Bush backyard Wed Jul 28,12:54 PM ET CRAWFORD, United States (AFP) - Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Farenheit 9/11" reaches US President George W. Bush ( - )'s backyard -- but the filmmaker has nixed plans to come to this one-stoplight town to officiate Word that Moore was coming to Crawford, a hamlet of 705 people, had drawn a dismissive response from the White House but sparked anger and worry among some locals, including one who left his message in cow manure. "To Michael Moore, from James Douglas, one pile of bullshit deserves another!!!" read a note atop...

Okay, okay... I know this is late for The Birthday, but I just received it.  I checked snopes and they don't seem to have it yet.  The e-mail came from a woman whose brother went to high school with Bum at French High School (Beaumont, Tx), so I'm thinking he really wrote it.  It sure sounds like him, anyway.  Does anyone know him personally so we can verify? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEXAS -- FROM BUM PHILLIPS  Being Texan by Bum PhillipsDear Friends,   Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My...

After the recent happenings with Libya, I have started wondering if President Bush's "reputation" that is being touted by Europe and other liberal countries could possibly be a good thing for the US. If indeed, Terrorist supporting nations buy into the hype that Bush is a loose cannon, and will invade a country on a whim and bully other nations, perhaps they would be less inclined to support opposing forces. Could it be that we WANT Middle East dictators to think that Bush is a "cowboy" who will shoot from the hip and send soldiers to their death for the...

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec 15, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Never mind which Arabs feel joy or disappointment - the real message in Saddam Hussein's capture should not be lost on Middle East leaders who might think to challenge American interests, say experts and analysts who also see in Saddam's dramatic end an opportunity to redraw the politics of the region. Saddam was a leader who once terrified - and shocked - his fellow Iraqis and neighbors with his violent politics and opulent lifestyle. That he looked a broken man when pulled from his underground hiding place was noted both...