Texas Attack At 'Draw Muhammad' Event:  One of the two men who were fatally shot yesterday after attempting to storm a Texas event involving cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad has been identified.  Sasha Goldstein of the New York Daily News reports that one of the shooters, Elton Simpson, had previously convicted for lying to the FBI about plans to travel to Somalia and carry out jihad.  His unidentified accomplice was his roommate from Phoenix.  The two men rigged themselves with body armor and assault rifles before traveling to the controversial event at a community center in suburban Dallas.  Pamela Geller, the event hostess and an outspoken anti-Muslim advocate, calls the attack a "war on free speech."  A security guard was shot in the ankle during the gunfire, but no one else was injured or killed other than the two gunmen.

Three Homicides in Three Days Along Border:  Federal officials are investigating three separate homicides where four bodies were discovered over the course of three days in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border.  Ildefonso Ortiz of Breitbart reports that the Rio Grande Valley is a hot spot for Mexican drug cartel activity, but authorities have not yet confirmed if the homicides are connected to their drug trafficking or human smuggling operations.  Authorities report that some of the bodies recovered exhibited signs of foul play.

Criminal, Free Under Realignment, Carjacks Ex-Girlfriend:  A Southern California criminal, on probation under the state's Realignment law, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of carjacking and violating a criminal protective order.  Brian Day of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that Manuel Martinez was out on Post Release Community Supervision for a domestic violence conviction against his ex-girlfriend and was not permitted to contact her.  Martinez approached her at a gas station a little after midnight Sunday, and demanded a ride before pulling her from the vehicle when she refused. After inflicting minor injuries, he drove away with her car. 

Death Sentences, Executions Down in VA:  Virginia, a state that once operated a bustling execution chamber, has only eight inmates awaiting execution, down from a high of 57 in 1995.  Larry O'Dell of the AP reports that in the last nine years, the state has sent just six people to death row, a significant decrease compared to the previous eight years when 40 people were sentenced to death.  The article quotes anti-death penalty experts like Richard Dieter, who believe that juries are giving out less death sentences "due in part to a growing acceptance of life without parole as a reasonable alternative to death."  But these experts apparently failed to notice that homicides are less than half of what they were 20 years ago. In fact the murder rate in Virginia is the lowest it has been since 1960.  Maybe the state's consistent enforcement of the death penalty had something to do with this, and maybe now there are just fewer murderers eligible for a death sentence. 

NYPD Officer Dies from Injuries:  An NYPD officer has died from injuries sustained on Saturday when a convicted felon shot him in the head in Queens.  Fox News reports that Brian Moore was shot by Demetrius Blackwell, whose criminal record included 10 arrests, when he approached him to ask what he was carrying after seeing him tugging at his waistband.  Moore's partner who he was working with at the time, was unharmed.  Blackwell has yet to enter a plea.  He will likely face murder charges.