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Thomas Caffall Kills a Police Officer in Texas, for Serving him an Eviction Notice at his Home

August 13, 2012

Three dead in shooting near Texas A&M University

By Jim Forsyth

Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:53pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) -

A man killed two people, including a law enforcement officer who was serving him an eviction notice at a home near Texas A&M University, on Monday before police fatally shot the suspect in a gun battle that lasted half an hour, officials said.

Four people also were injured, police and city officials in College Station said. The shooting comes at a time of national concern over gun violence after two recent mass shootings.

The dead officer was identified as Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann, said Scott McCollum, assistant chief of the police department in College Station.

McCollum said Bachmann, 41, was shot in front of the house, about two blocks from the Texas A&M campus, and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police identified the gunman as Thomas Caffall, 35, and the bystander killed as Chris Northcliff, 43, of College Station.

College Station city spokesman Jay Socol said authorities were still investigating Caffall's background. It was unclear whether Caffall was renting the home or was being evicted for nonpayment of a mortgage, he said.

Officials said the wounded included a 55-year-old woman, who underwent surgery, and College Station police officer Justin Oehlke, who was in stable condition after being shot in the leg.

Officers Brad Smith and Phil Dorsett were injured by what police called gun shrapnel. Smith was treated at a hospital and released and Dorsett was treated at the scene.

"We had officers respond to a 'shots fired' call," McCollum said at a news conference. "Once the officers arrived, they began to trade fire. The officers defended themselves and called in additional officers."

CODE MAROON

College Station police officers shot and killed the gunman, said Jason James, a sergeant with the police department in nearby Bryan, Texas.

A Facebook page listed as belonging to Caffall, which had a photo nearly identical to a driver's license picture released by authorities, included photographs of rifles he had said he had acquired, including a Czech vz 58 assault rifle.

The university issued a "code maroon" shortly after noon, warning students and employees that an "active shooter" was in the area west of campus and asking them to stay away.

A university spokesman said he was unaware if any of the victims were students.

The College Station shooting comes less than four weeks after a man opened fire in a crowded Colorado movie theater during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people and wounded 58 others.

On August 5 a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin before committing suicide.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Monday at a Miami news conference that there should be no change to current gun laws.

"We've now had apparently ... three of these tragedies in a row and I happen to believe this is not a matter of the weapon that is used," Romney said. "It's a matter of the individuals, the choices these people make and we have to understand those kinds of choices from being made."

(Additional reporting by Lily Kuo, Steve Holland and Mary Slosson; Writing by Colleen Jenkins and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Bill Trott and Dan Whitcomb)

Suspect among three dead in Texas A&M university shootings

The man suspected of going on a fatal shooting spree on Monday near Texas A&M university was among three dead following the incident. A policeman and a civilian were also killed.

By News Wires (text)

France 24, August 13, 2012, AP -

A gunman and a law enforcement officer were among three people killed Monday in a shooting near a Texas university campus, police said.

A male civilian also was killed, while two other officers and a woman were injured in the shooting near Texas A&M University at College Station, said Bryan Police Department spokesman Jon Agnew. Bryan police are assisting nearby College Station in the investigation.

Assistant College Station Police Chief Scott McCollum earlier identified the law enforcement officer killed as Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann.

Agnew said officers had established a perimeter around the area shortly after the shooting just east of campus, but they do not believe a second suspect was involved. He said police don’t know if the shooter was a student at Texas A&M.

The school had issued an alert on its website just before 12:30 p.m. warning of an active shooter near the campus football stadium, Kyle Field. The alert warned residents and students to avoid the area, and was later updated with the shooter taken into custody.

Texas A&M spokeswoman Sherylon Carroll could not confirm details about the shooting, but said most students were not on campus Monday. The fall semester does not begin until August 27.

“It appeared to be fairly quiet,” Carroll said of campus. “It didn’t appear to be a lot of people out and about at that particular time.”

College Station is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Texas A&M is home to more than 50,000 students, according to its website.

Date created : 13/08/2012