TX Killer Executed: An inmate on Texas' death row who said he wanted to be executed was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday evening. CBS reports that Barney Fuller Jr., 58, pleaded guilty to capital murder in 2004 for the 2003 shooting that left his neighbors, Nathan Copeland, 43, and Annette Copeland, 39, dead inside their home. The married couple's 14-year-old son suffered two gunshot wounds and survived while their 10-year-old daughter escaped injury. The shooting was motivated by a two-year dispute between Fuller and the Copelands that began on New Year's Day in 2001 when Fuller made a threatening phone call to Annette after she complained to authorities had shot her dog and shout out the electrical transformer that powered their home. The incident was addressed in court two nights before the murder. Fuller dropped all of his appeals last year in order to expedite his execution. He was the seventh convicted killer put to death in Texas this year and the 16th nationally.
CA Sergeant Fatally Shot, Suspect in Custody: A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant died Wednesday following a deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster, Calif., and one suspect is injured and in custody. Fox News reports that Sgt. Steve Owen, 53, a 29-year veteran of the department and a Meritorious Conduct Medal, Gold recipient, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the face after he and another deputy responded to a reported burglary. After shooting Owen, the gunman attempted to steal Owen's patrol car, exchanging gunfire with the other deputy before reversing the vehicle into the other patrol car and fleeing on foot and into a home with two teens inside. The teens were safely removed from the home before the suspect, who is on active parole, was taken into custody.
Sharp Increase in CA Crime Fuels Political Debate: Dan Walters has this piece in the Sac Bee discussing the political climate in California amid a sharp increase in crime and next month's impending ballot. After decades of decline, violent crimes such as armed robberies, rapes and homicides have surged, says Walters. In 2015, violent crime increased 7.6% from the previous year to 426.3 per 100,000 population, two-and-a-half times the 3% national increase. The homicide rate alone spiked by 8.5% last year, bringing it far above the 4.9% increase recorded nationally. This year, approximately 170,000 violent crimes have been recorded in the state. The disturbing data comes to light just in time for California voters to weigh in on several Nov. 8 ballot initiatives: Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty, Proposition 66, which would expedite executions, and Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 57, which essentially changes the definition of "nonviolent felony" and makes it easier for felons to obtain parole. These measures follow Brown's prison realignment (AB109) in 2011 and voter-approved Proposition 47 in 2014, which have been central in the debate over California's crime spike, with many believing the two laws to be the prime factor.
MO Officer Fatally Shot, Suspect in Custody: A St. Louis County police officer was shot and killed early Thursday by a suspect with whom he had been previously connected. Fox News reports that St. Louis County officer Blake Snyder, 33, a four-year veteran of the force, was fatally shot by an 18-year-old suspect, who remains unidentified, "almost immediately" after approaching him in his vehicle in relation to a disturbance case. The suspect had been previously charged with a felony in a case that Snyder was a part of, prompting officials to announce during a news conference that they "wouldn't discount that this was an ambush." The suspect was injured by another officer in an exchange of gunfire and is currently in custody. Snyder's death was the first on-duty death of a St. Louis County officer since October 2000.
CA Sergeant Fatally Shot, Suspect in Custody: A Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant died Wednesday following a deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster, Calif., and one suspect is injured and in custody. Fox News reports that Sgt. Steve Owen, 53, a 29-year veteran of the department and a Meritorious Conduct Medal, Gold recipient, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the face after he and another deputy responded to a reported burglary. After shooting Owen, the gunman attempted to steal Owen's patrol car, exchanging gunfire with the other deputy before reversing the vehicle into the other patrol car and fleeing on foot and into a home with two teens inside. The teens were safely removed from the home before the suspect, who is on active parole, was taken into custody.
Sharp Increase in CA Crime Fuels Political Debate: Dan Walters has this piece in the Sac Bee discussing the political climate in California amid a sharp increase in crime and next month's impending ballot. After decades of decline, violent crimes such as armed robberies, rapes and homicides have surged, says Walters. In 2015, violent crime increased 7.6% from the previous year to 426.3 per 100,000 population, two-and-a-half times the 3% national increase. The homicide rate alone spiked by 8.5% last year, bringing it far above the 4.9% increase recorded nationally. This year, approximately 170,000 violent crimes have been recorded in the state. The disturbing data comes to light just in time for California voters to weigh in on several Nov. 8 ballot initiatives: Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty, Proposition 66, which would expedite executions, and Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 57, which essentially changes the definition of "nonviolent felony" and makes it easier for felons to obtain parole. These measures follow Brown's prison realignment (AB109) in 2011 and voter-approved Proposition 47 in 2014, which have been central in the debate over California's crime spike, with many believing the two laws to be the prime factor.
MO Officer Fatally Shot, Suspect in Custody: A St. Louis County police officer was shot and killed early Thursday by a suspect with whom he had been previously connected. Fox News reports that St. Louis County officer Blake Snyder, 33, a four-year veteran of the force, was fatally shot by an 18-year-old suspect, who remains unidentified, "almost immediately" after approaching him in his vehicle in relation to a disturbance case. The suspect had been previously charged with a felony in a case that Snyder was a part of, prompting officials to announce during a news conference that they "wouldn't discount that this was an ambush." The suspect was injured by another officer in an exchange of gunfire and is currently in custody. Snyder's death was the first on-duty death of a St. Louis County officer since October 2000.
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