Crime Time

Man killed in Decatur shootout had stuff to make bombs

Bomb making materials were found in the car of the man who was killed in a shootout Thursday with authorities in Decatur.

A search warrant released Tuesday described the materials.

Evan Spencer Ebel (shown here) is suspected of wounding Montague County Sheriff's Deputy James Boyd, who had stopped Ebel for a traffic issue.  

A chase ensued into Wise County, where Ebel died in a shoot out with police.

Deanna Boyd has our first report on the bomb components. Go here to read what she has so far.

Also, see this report by Kirk Mitchell of The Denver Post to get caught up on how Ebel is suspected in the execution-style murder a week ago of a Colorado prisons official.

The page also includes links to other stories on Ebel’s background, including his membership to a white supremacist prison gang, the 211 Crew.

 -- Bill Miller

'Heroes' mandatory for police cadets; public invited to viewing Saturday

In the news business, we sometimes hear from people complaining about police misdeeds or arrogance. When cops get arrested we report those stories, so we know some police have faults.

But there is one facet of police work that some people tend to forget.

That is, there are few jobs in which a wife, for example, has in the back of her mind the possibility that her husband may not come home alive.

This reality is evident in Heroes Behind the Badge, a 90-minute documentary about cops hurt or killed on duty. It has become mandatory for all Texas police academy classes.

It's first Dallas/Fort Worth screening is Saturday at Harvest Church in Watauga, and the public is invited.

"Not even the most cynical cop or the most callused civilian can walk away without being moved by these stories," the film's producer said.

See a promo for the film (below), but also read a report about it by Domingo Ramirez Jr.

-- Bill Miller

 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/27/4647541/documentary-honors-officers-who.html#storylink=cpy

 

Governor to honor Arlington SWAT officer who was wounded June 5

Getting shot in the head was never going to stop Arlington police officer Bryan Graham from returning to duty just as soon as his bosses would let him.

As long, that is, as he still had the blessing of his wife and two young children.

Graham, a member of the Arlington SWAT unit, reflected Thursday morning on his quick recovery -- he was back at work 20 days after the shooting -- and on being chosen for an award that will be presented Friday in Austin by Gov. Rick Perry.

The 12-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department was wounded the evening of June 5 during a tactical operation to help Fort Worth police arrest an armed-robbery suspect. He was the first officer to enter the east Arlington apartment where Alexzander Rye Coan, 23, was holed up.

A shot fired by Coan struck Graham in his right temple. In a stroke of remarkable fortune, the bullet never penetrated his skull but traveled along the side of his head and exited behind his ear.

Graham said that, other than losing consciousness for what fellow officers said was about 10 seconds, he remembered everything that happened.

"I knew where we were," he told members of the DFW news media at police headquarters. "I knew why we were there."

It quickly became apparent to Graham that he wasn't seriously injured. His wife, Lauren, however, suffered through what must have seemed like hours of angst after she was picked up and driven to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where Graham was taken.

"All she knew was that I had been shot in the face," Graham said. "She had a half an hour or longer of thinking the worst."

Lauren Graham said Thursday that it was a "tough experience" but that she knows how much her husband loves his job.

"He was a police officer long before we got married," she said. "I knew what I was getting myself into."

Another member of the tactical team, officer Charles Crawford, said a day after the incident that Graham "performed at the level of a hero."

Police fatally shot Coan, a suspect in at least four aggravated robberies in Fort Worth. Fort Worth police had located Coan at an apartment complex in the 600 block of East Arkansas Lane and had tried to execute an arrest warrant at about 4:45 p.m. When Coan wouldn't come out, Arlington police were called to assist.

In Austin, Graham will receive the Governor's Star of Texas. The award began in 2003 and honors peace officers, firefighters and emergency medical responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. Many of Graham's fellow officers will accompany him and his family to Austin on Friday.

-Patrick M. Walker

Photo of heroic Arlington officer is a welcome sight

Arlington police tweeted a photo of tactical officer Bryan Graham, who was shot in the side of the head Tuesday night as he led a hostage rescue team into an apartment.

But rather than being grisly, the photo of a smiling Graham is beautiful because of what it represents: a close call that didn't turn tragic for the dedicated officer, the family he adores and the police community. The bullet struck him outside his right eye and exited behind his ear but never penetrated his skull.

Graham, 35, led the charge into an apartment in the 600 block of East Arkansas Lane where a 23-year-old armed-robbery suspect was holed up with his girlfriend and a second woman who police say was being held against her will. After being shot -- which felt like somebody hit him with a baseball bat, he told fellow officers -- he had the presence of mind to position his body in a manner that didn't obstruct the path of the officers following him.

Another member of the tactical team, officer Charles Crawford, said Wednesday that Graham "performed at the level of a hero."

Although Graham was released from the hospital on Wednesday, he is still dealing with the pain from his injury and isn't ready to return to duty, Sgt. Christopher Cook, the Police Department's communications supervisor, said Friday.

The suspect, Alexzander Coan, was shot multiple times and died Tuesday night at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

-Patrick M. Walker

Wounded Arlington officer performed 'to the level of a hero,' teammate says

Arlington police SWAT team member Bryan Graham "performed at the level of a hero" on Tuesday night, when he was shot in the head by a suspect wanted for multiple aggravated robberies, one of his colleagues and close friends said Wednesday afternoon.

"He put his life on the line trying to rescue a hostage," SWAT officer Charles Crawford told reporters at a news conference at the Arlington police headquarters. "Hostage rescues are the hardest job we have."

Graham, 35, continues to recover at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, with family and fellow officers at his side. The bullet entered his right temple and exited behind his ear but did not penetrate his skull, Crawford said. "A few centimeters in another direction, and we might have had a different outcome," Crawford said. "We're very grateful for that."

Graham never lost consciousness and has experienced no memory loss, Crawford said.

"At the scene, he was concerned about two things: 'Did I do my job right, and  is my family OK?'" Crawford said. After Graham was shot, the rest of the SWAT team maintained its focus on rescuing the hostage and performed at a high level, he said.

Crawford and Sgt. Curtis Petties, who now works with Arlington school resource officers, described Graham as a family man and dedicated officer who even from his hospital bed made it clear that he couldn't wait to get back to work.

"It really hits you hard when it's somebody you truly, truly know," said Petties, who was adopted by Graham and his family in 2000 when the pair were classmates in the police academy.

"When I went to the hospital, his mom came up to me and said, 'Curtis, I am so glad to see you.' I haven't seen her in probably 11 years, but it shows that he continues to talk about me to his family."

Meanwhile, the investigation continued into the sequence of events that led to the death of the suspect, Alexzander Rye Coan, 23. Police released no details but said Arlington officers had established a perimeter, shots were fired from the apartment and entry was made into the apartment.

-Patrick M. Walker

Mom, 3 daughters rescued from fire by Dallas police officers

A mother and her three daughters were rescued early Wednesday by a pair of Dallas police officers who saw the family's home on fire as they patrolled the Red Bird area neighborhood in which they lived, Fox 4 News reported today.

The officers broke through a front door at about 2:45 a.m. and found the 32-year-old mother and girls asleep inside. The mother and daughters, ages 4, 7, and 8 all escaped safely from the house.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, Fox 4 reported.

-- Lance Murray

Dallas police officer rescues man from burning car

A Dallas police officer turned hero Wednesday night when he pulled a man from a burning car on the Dallas North Tollway, according to a Dallas police press release.

Officer William Shumpert was northbound at 7:35 p.m. on the Tollway when he saw a older-model Cadillac stalled in the roadway. Another vehicle slammed into the Cadillac before Shumpert could block the lane of traffic, forcing the Cadillac into the center wall.

The Cadillac burst into flames, the release said.

Shumpert stopped his patrol car and broke the driver's side window out of the Cadillac with his hand to rescue the man inside. Everyone was treated at the scene, police said, and Shumpert returned to his duties.

-- Lance Murray

Tape shows cops saving man from burning car

Channel 5 has a great slide show up on their Web site that shows two Iowa police officers pulling a man from a burning car. The whole thing was caught on tape with a police dashcam.

Check out the slide show here.

-- Lance Murray