Monday night, KDFW-Channel 4 ran a piece about 70-year-old James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding in West Dallas, who, early Sunday morning, shot and killed and man trying to break into his business. What made Walton’s story so extraordinary was that it was the second time he’d killed an intruder in three weeks. As it happens, Walton also lives at his place of business.

But today you will not find the Fox4 story on the station’s Web site; there’s a page for it, but no accompanying video. (Update: It’s available here.) That’s because Rebecca Aguilar’s piece elicited a torrent of outrage, both on local blogs (chiefly FrontBurner but also elsewhere) and from viewers who began deluging the station with angry calls Monday night and much of the day yesterday. As Trey Garrison pointed out on D’s blog:

This is her idea of journalism? Ambushing a 70-year-old man who has been through life-and-death twice in three weeks? “Are you a trigger happy kind of person? Is that what what you wanted to do? Shoot to kill?” Good Lord, I hate the people in this field.

Well, Trey need not worry about Aguilar, at least for a while: Unfair Park has confirmed that Aguilar — who was just named one of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Broadcast Journalists of the Year — has been indefinitely suspended, based on concerns about how Aguilar treated Walton. She could not be reached for comment, but Unfair Park did leave Aguilar a message on her cell phone. (When we tried her number in the newsroom, another woman answered and said, “Rebecca isn’t available today.”) We also left a message for Maria Barrs, the station’s news director. –Robert Wilonsky

Full Story Here:
KDFW Suspends Rebecca Aguilar After Controversial “Ambush”

This is the same story I had up a couple of days ago, West Dallas business owner kills 2 suspected burglars in 3 weeks about the Dallas business owner that has taken a personal interest in NOT letting the BAD GUYS rob him blind, and to that gentleman, Mr. Walton, I say GOOD for you and I am proud to have you as a resident of this area…

Well, apparently one Ms. Rebecca Aguilar, of KDFW-FOX4 here in the Dallas wasn’t so happy with Mr. Walton, the only thing I can say thats printable concerning Aguilar at this moment is, I am glad she is suspended…

I want to extend many thanks to Dan Riehl of Riehl World View: Senior Reduced To Tears By Reporter After Shooting for using my story as a part of his, thank you Dan, You Da Man!

And Dan has the video OF this story too, please pop in and take a look at what ‘hack reporting’ from KDFW-FOX4 really looks like…

Shame on Rebecca Aguilar for this trash journalism and even MORE shame on KDFW-FOX4 producers and management for letting it air in the 1st place…

EDIT for Clarification: Castle Law Doctrine - Texas Governor Rick Perry - Press Release - March 27, 2007

EDIT TO INCLUDE: Video Link from YouTube courtesy of Big White Hat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnZd-5dYXfk

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A 32-year-old man who killed his estranged wife and two stepchildren in Fort Worth held Arlington police at bay for several hours Friday afternoon, holed up in his car, before speeding off and driving into Lake Arlington, where he shot himself in the head.

Arthur Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene Friday night.

Police became aware of Jackson’s ordeal at 12:24 p.m. when Jackson dropped off his 3-year-old daughter at Mayfield Road Baptist Church in Arlington. The child was covered in blood but was uninjured. She has temporarily been placed in foster care.

“He stated to them that he just killed some people and was going to kill some more,” said Christy Gilfour, Arlington police spokeswoman.

A few minutes later, Arlington police found Jackson in his car parked in a driveway of a relative’s home in the 3300 block of Carter Drive and began to negotiate with him. Police blocked the driveway with a 16,000-pound armored truck.

This was all over the national news yesterday, and as you can imagine, here in the D/FW area, we were inundated with it…

My sympathies go out to the family and friends, this is a terrible loss and I know you’re hurting and I am truly sorry for that but to the associated police departments involved in this standoff I have to ask, what in the HELL were you guys doing?? The local news had already started to spin this one at 10:00 PM last night, they had some police spokesmen on saying that proper police procedures were followed, oh really?? What kind of police procedure was this??

At 7:25 p.m., police say Jackson rammed his gray Nissan Altima into the armored truck and drove over a lawn to escape.

This article says “Police blocked the driveway with a 16,000-pound armored truck.” and the guy rams the damned thing with a Nissan Altima and gets away??

Here’s a suggestion for the Keystone Cops of Arlington, get you several of those Nissan Altima cars, they would be a lot cheaper than armored assault vehicles, and they appear to be a hell of a lot tougher too…

Incredible, simply incredible…

Full Story Here:
Star-Telegram.com - ‘There was something that made him go over the hill’

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ODESSA, Texas (AP) - Two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance were killed and a third was critically wounded by a gunman who led Texas authorities on an hours-long standoff, authorities said.

The suspected gunman in the shooting Saturday night, 58-year-old Larry White, will likely face two counts of capital murder and attempted murder of an officer, said Tela Mange, a Department of Public Safety spokeswoman.

Mange said White was shot in the abdomen and was in stable condition at a hospital under police guard.

The wounded officer was transported to University Medical Center Hospital in Lubbock, said Andrea Goodson, a city of Odessa spokeswoman.

Full Story Here:
Texas Officers Slain Answering 911 Call

EDIT TO ADD: Officer critically wounded in shootout dies

LUBBOCK, Texas — A West Texas police officer who was shot in the face during a weekend gun battle died Wednesday, a day before his two brothers intended to take him off life support to fulfill a pact the three officers made years ago.

Cpl. Abel Marquez, 32, was the third Odessa police officer to die after responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday. His death was confirmed by spokesman Greg Bruce of University Medical Center in Lubbock, where Marquez was taken shortly after the shooting.

I have to say, in ALL honesty, I am surprised this guy was taken alive, very surprised, and to the families of the slain officers I extend my serious, heartfelt sympathy to you in this time of loss…

We’re a cop family, my son and his fiance are both Sheriffs Deputies, my adopted brother is a retired Police Captain, my wife’s brother was a retired Police Sergeant prior to his death recently and his widow is a retired Police Lieutenant and we have several other family members and friends that are officers on various departments and things like this hit our entire family very hard…

A Policeman’s Prayer: Oh almighty God, whose great power and wisdom embraces the universe, watch over all policeman everywhere and protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to stop crime, robbery and violence. We pray, you help them keep our streets and home safe, day and night.

We recommend them to your loving care because their duty is dangerous, give them strength and courage.

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