Trooper shot and killed in east Texas

[lepfan]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5741105.html

[LH Panther Mom]

:(

[navscanmaster]

Northeast Texas continues to be an extremely dangerous area for law enforcement officers. God bless him and his family, and I pray that his murderer will be brought to justice quickly. The Polunsky Unit has a nice single bed cell with a five to fifteen year lease waiting on him or her.:mad:

[zebrablue2]

sad news indeed.. hope the killer is caught quickly and brought to justice..

[txkmom]

Jefferson is less than an hour from me. Supposedly, the shooter was embroiled in a child custody issue, and he may have been highly agitated due to that. Word here is the officer only had time to call the plate in - he was shot before he ever exited his vehicle. I understand Scott Burns was married and the father of a 5 month-old. Don't know if this is all correct, this is local hearsay, but very sad nonetheless.

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by txkmom
Jefferson is less than an hour from me. Supposedly, the shooter was embroiled in a child custody issue, and he may have been highly agitated due to that. Word here is the officer only had time to call the plate in - he was shot before he ever exited his vehicle. I understand Scott Burns was married and the father of a 5 month-old. Don't know if this is all correct, this is local hearsay, but very sad nonetheless.

:(

Hope they find the guy soon and he is brought to justice!

[scrub c]

well i sure hope when they catch the person, they are not polite to him and I also feel this person does not belong in jail (if you know what i mean...) im talking about a 45 cent solution

[g$$]

Very sad. Hope justice is rendered swiftly & harshly.

[ronwx5x]

Originally posted by g$$
Very sad. Hope justice is rendered swiftly & harshly.

My guess is neither of these will happen. Our legal safeguards will ensure him of ALL his rights and privileges. I say that, of course, since I'm not the one in trouble and hope I never will be.

[Ingleside Fan]

Get a Rope!!:ack!:

[lostaussie]

Updated: Man Wanted In The Fatal Shooting Of DPS Trooper





Law enforcement officers throughout the state of Texas are looking for Brandon Wayne Robertson, 37, who is a suspect in the fatal shooting of a DPS trooper Tuesday night. A capitol murder warrant has been issued for him.

Robertson was last seen driving a blue Dodge Intrepid with Texas license plate 039-LCG. Robertson is described as a white male with red hair and green eyes. Law enforcement has reason to believe that he is still in the East Texas area and may be heading for Shreveport, LA.

Robertson has an extended criminal history in both Gregg and Smith Counties for both felonies (including carrying an unlawful weapon) and petty crimes.

The suspect is wanted after a Department of Public Safety trooper was killed in East Texas Tuesday night. The shooting happened at the intersection of F.M. 729 and F.M. 1969 in Marion County, on the northeast side of Lake O' the Pines.

DPS Troopers told KLTV 7 last night that the victim is Trooper James Scott Burns, 39, based out of Texarkana. Troopers said Burns was recently married and has a child just a few months old.

A passer-by saw the trooper and DPS officials said he was able to get on the Burns' radio to call for help.

Neighbors told KLTV 7 that the trooper was shot 4 times before the shooter drove off.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the vehicle or its driver should immediately call 911. Do not approach Robertson. He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

[navscanmaster]

Originally posted by lostaussie
Updated: Man Wanted In The Fatal Shooting Of DPS Trooper





Law enforcement officers throughout the state of Texas are looking for Brandon Wayne Robertson, 37, who is a suspect in the fatal shooting of a DPS trooper Tuesday night. A capitol murder warrant has been issued for him.

Robertson was last seen driving a blue Dodge Intrepid with Texas license plate 039-LCG. Robertson is described as a white male with red hair and green eyes. Law enforcement has reason to believe that he is still in the East Texas area and may be heading for Shreveport, LA.

Robertson has an extended criminal history in both Gregg and Smith Counties for both felonies (including carrying an unlawful weapon) and petty crimes.

The suspect is wanted after a Department of Public Safety trooper was killed in East Texas Tuesday night. The shooting happened at the intersection of F.M. 729 and F.M. 1969 in Marion County, on the northeast side of Lake O' the Pines.

DPS Troopers told KLTV 7 last night that the victim is Trooper James Scott Burns, 39, based out of Texarkana. Troopers said Burns was recently married and has a child just a few months old.

A passer-by saw the trooper and DPS officials said he was able to get on the Burns' radio to call for help.

Neighbors told KLTV 7 that the trooper was shot 4 times before the shooter drove off.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the vehicle or its driver should immediately call 911. Do not approach Robertson. He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

The suspect used to be a police officer in Northeast Texas, Overton, I believe. Information is still coming in, but he served a stint recently in TDCJ for controlled substances, and now this. Horrible, horrible. The trooper was still in his seatbelt calling in the details of the car when the suspect jumped out and fired into the patrol car and killed him.

[PHS Wildcats]

:(

[Antec]

59 Between Houston and Victoria and toward Laredo is is getting to that point as well

Lots of drug trafficing-etc

on weekends lots of cars being towed from Houston area to Laredo and to cross the border

[lostaussie]

Capital murder warrant issued for suspect in trooper's death



Associated Press - May 1, 2008 10:05 AM ET

KELLYVILLE, Texas (AP) - A capital murder warrant has been issued for a former East Texas police officer suspected of fatally shooting a Department of Public Safety trooper.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says a statewide search is under way and a capital murder warrant is issued for 37-year-old Brandon Wayne Robertson of Tyler. He's wanted in the shooting death of 39-year-old Trooper James Scott Burns Tuesday night during a traffic stop near Lake O' The Pines in East Texas.

State licensing officials say Robertson was an East Texas police officer for seven years at departments in Rusk County, Overton and Kilgore before leaving law enforcement in 1999. He was arrested by state troopers as recently as April 6th, when he was charged in Cherokee County with drug possession.

A $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of Burns' killer.

Meanwhile, Burns' funeral is scheduled for Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Linden. Visitation will be tomorrow night at the church.

[kaorder1999]

that is horrible!

[Sftball4Life]

Community mourns trooper
Police seek suspect in Scott Burns’ death
By: Michelle Williams - Texarkana Gazette - Published: 05/01/2008

LINDEN, Texas—DPS Trooper Scott Burns, who was killed in the line of duty Tuesday night, is being remembered as a man who made the most of his 39 years.

Although his family and members of the community are devastated by his sudden and inexplicable death, they seem to realize no one knows how much time they have and it’s wise to make each year count.

“It’s been a long-term dream of Scott’s to work in law enforcement, specifically to become a DPS officer. He was so excited about it—enjoyed his work,” said Kenny Hamilton, Linden mayor and Burns’ cousin. “He was a real good guy. He’d help anybody any way he could. He was ecstatic about the birth of his baby girl. You’d be hard-pressed to find one better than him.”

As the community mourned one their own, a search for Burns’ killer yielded nothing.

Law enforcement officers searched the area around Lake O’ the Pines Wednesday looking for a former police officer they want to question in the Burns’ shooting death, which occurred after he pulled over a car near Farm to Market Roads 1969 and 729 on the northeast side of the lake just west of Kellyville in Marion County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. A passer-by used the trooper’s radio to call for help.

Authorities issued a statewide search for Brandon Wayne Robertson, 37, of Tyler, Texas.

Kenneth Neal witnessed the shooting.

“He (Robertson) got out of his car and reached down beside his seat, pulled out a pump shotgun and shot it four times.”

“(The police car) had a bullet in the windshield and he (Burns) was still in his seatbelt. He didn’t get a chance to get out of his seatbelt. He was just laying over,” said Holly Neal, who also witnessed the shooting.

Robertson is a former police officer who has worked in numerous locations including Kilgore, Texas.

Robertson was arrested earlier this month on a drug charge in Cherokee County and numerous times in Gregg County as well.

Robertson was an East Texas police officer for seven years at departments in Rusk County, Overton and Kilgore, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education. He left law enforcement in 1999.

DPS Trooper and spokesman Sylvia Jennings said she did not know what prompted the pursuit that ended with Burns’ death. Jennings said the video camera in the trooper’s car was hit and didn’t show anything but the pursuit.

The car had four bullet holes in its windshield and one on the hood.

Authorities described Robertson as white with green eyes and red hair, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 250 pounds. Authorities are also looking for a 1997 blue Dodge Intrepid with Texas license 039-LCG.

A group of East Texas businesses and district attorney’s offices are offering a $30,000 award for information leading to the arrest and indictment of Burns’ killer.

Burns is the 83rd state trooper to die in the line of duty, according to DPS. He is survived by a wife and a 5-month-old daughter.

He joined the Department of Public Safety five years ago. He worked before that as a state correctional officer. Texas Forest Service firefighter Ronnie Hamm, a longtime friend, told the newspaper that Burns thought he could better serve the community as a state trooper.

“We’re sad—so sad—at this loss, but at the same time we’re damn angry about what happened,” Hamm said.

He said Burns issued a lot of warnings to drivers. “He hated to give out citations,” Hamm said.

He said he last saw Burns on Monday when the trooper brought his daughter Micah to Hamm’s office.

“There’s a 5-month-old daughter that had the greatest dad in the world, and she’ll never have the chance to know him,” he said.

Hamilton said there’s a reason for Burns’ good-hearted nature.

“He came from good parents, a wonderful family,” he said. “My heart goes out to his parents and family. If there’s any more helpless feeling, I don’t know what it is.”

Burns’ brother-in-law, Todd Maxwell, echoed Hamilton’s words, adding words could not do Scott Burns’ character justice.

Maxwell’s impassioned accounting told Burns was as beloved by his extended family as by his immediate circle.

“The only thing I can say about him is that he was an outstanding guy—hands down. He was an unbelievable man, the way he conducted his life and treated people,” Maxwell said. “He was excellent with people. If you met him once, you felt like you’d known him all your life. He was a great, great guy. He loved his wife and kid, with all his heart. He had a great sense of humor. If he ever got something on you, it would not be forgotten. And, he loved to hunt and fish. He loved life, loved life.

“Really, I don’t know what to say because whatever I tell you is not going to portray the actual guy. Words can’t describe him.”

Off the job and on, Scott Burns was considered an exemplary person. Burns’ supervisor and close friend, DPS Trooper Sgt. Joshua Mason, like others stricken by tragic and untimely death, struggled.

But, determined to honor Burns fittingly, the grieving friend, as his lost companion would, put his feelings aside for the moment.

“I was fortunate to train Trooper Burns. We had a great friendship,” Mason said. “There is no better trooper I know of out there. He was a great person and a great trooper.

“He represented his community well. He will be greatly missed.

“I ask for people to keep his family in their prayers.”



The Associated Press contributed to this story.

[mistanice]

Breaking News:


The suspect's body has been found near Hwy 11 between Hugh Springs and Linden.

It appears suspect has committed suicide. More to come later.

[lostaussie]

from KLTV.com


Trooper Shooting Suspect Committed Suicide, Possible Accomplice Apprehended



We have just learned that the suspected wanted in the shooting death of 39 year old Trooper Scott Burns committed suicide in Cass County.

The Texas Department Of Public Safety in Austin says suspect Brandon Robertson was found dead of a self-inflicted gun wound off of CR 1347 near Morris Lake in Cass County. He was discovered around 5 p.m. Thursday.

An alleged accomplice, Jennifer Lynne Petrick, 36, was taken into custody at the scene. Criminal charges are pending against her. Petrick was Robertson's girlfriend. She will be booked into the Cass County Jail.

Authorities had tracked Robertson through information gained from calls he made to a local 911 center, as well as through investigative tactics and many calls to a tip line that had been set up to give a $30,000 reward. Robertson killed himself as authorities closed in on his location.

Trooper Scott Burns, was killed Tuesday night after pulling over a car at near the intersection of FM 729 and FM 1969 on the northeast side of Lake O' The Pines in East Texas.

Authorities say Burns didn't have a chance to remove his seatbelt as he stopped his patrol car, just before getting shot multiple times with a shotgun. A witness used the trooper's radio to call for help. Trooper Burns' car had four bullet holes in its windshield and one on the hood.

Brandon Wayne Robertson was an East Texas police officer for seven years at departments in Rusk County, Overton and Kilgore. He left law enforcement in 1999.

Robertson was arrested by Department of Public Safety troopers as recently as April 6, when he was charged in Cherokee County with possession of a controlled substance. He posted a $7,500 bond the next day.

Various local law enforcement agencies assisted DPS in the search for Robertson, including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bowie County Sheriff's Office, the Cass County Sheriff's Office, the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, the Smith County Sheriff's Office, the Longview Police Department, as well as the District Attorneys from Bowie, Cass, Marion and Smith counties.