Gunman in Texas Shooting Rampage was a Marine

[okaawhatever]

Source: Huffington Post

EDEN, Texas -- A man suspected in a West Texas shooting rampage that left one woman dead and five others wounded was a Marine who was wanted for questioning in a slaying in North Carolina, officials said Monday.

The rampage Sunday morning ended when Esteban J. Smith, 23, of the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, N.C., died in a gunfight with an agency trooper and a state game warden, said Tom Vinger, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Six others were shot, one fatally, in the pre-dawn rampage across West Texas' rolling plains, Vinger said in a statement issued Monday
Clip
Camp Lejeune officials would not confirm the suspect's name. However, spokesman Master Sgt. J.D. Cress said in an emailed statement that authorities were investigating a possible connection between the Texas shooting and a homicide in Jacksonville, N.C., near the Marine base. He also confirmed that the Texas shooting suspect was an active duty Marine.
The Texas shootings began about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, when the gunman shot a motorist in the Eden area of Concho County, about 40 miles southeast of San Angelo and 210 miles southwest of Dallas. She was hospitalized in San Angelo with non-life-threatening wounds, Vinger said.
Over the next 90 minutes, two more people were shot while sitting in a car at a convenience store in adjacent McCulloch County. Both were treated for their wounds and discharged from a hospital, Vinger said.

Shortly after 6 a.m., Alicia Torres, 41, was found dead in her car in Eola, just east of San Angelo, Vinger said.

The suspect fired on the vehicle of Concho County Sheriff Richard Doane when the sheriff came upon him north of Eden, according to DPS. Doane was wounded in the gunfire and hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds, Vinger said.

A state trooper and game warden came upon the scene and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was killed.

An assault rifle, handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were recovered from his vehicle, Vinger said


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/27/marine-texas-shooting_n_3343990.html

[mc51tc]

1. Not much on this shooting was covered in Texas.

I heard nothing about this shoot out in Texas today until reading tonight. Nothing about it on the major news outlets tonight in the DFW area at all. Very strange.

[mc51tc]

2. Texas Shooting Spree Not News

Seems I am not the only one questioning the coverage of this shooting on Memorial Day.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/27/1211941/-Texas-Shooting-Spree-Not-News#

Was it because an active duty Marine was involved?

[okaawhatever]

5. Last night when the story broke (although it was about 16 hrs after it happened) they

said they weren't releasing the name of the shooter until next of kin was identified. I know that's protocol when someone dies, but since the shooting happened early yesterday morning and it wasn't reported until midnight last night by only one or two sources, and then they release tonight that he's a Marine it makes you wonder. Why didn't they report the original story last night? Also, if you notice, it says this guy may be tied to a murder that happened at Camp Lejuene. I wonder if he killed someone in a fit or rage or some ptsd thing and then just took off, maybe heading to Mexico? Who knows.

[okaawhatever]

3. What's odd was last night when the story first broke, the article said it had happened much earlier

in the day. I went to du to see if it was in latest breaking, then I went to cnn and others to see if it was an old or new story. It had only been on huffpo for about ten minutes. When the conclusion to the story came out tonight, I realized both stories were posted right before midnight. I wonder if that's the equivalent of the White House putting bad news out the friday night before a long weekend.

[TexasTowelie]

4. The story wasn't posted on the San Angelo Standard-Times until about ten minutes ago.

Odd that the news was kept quiet for so long.

[exboyfil]

6. A game warden

I wonder how much small arms training they receive? It does sound the two should be line for some sort of commendation.

[premium]

12. I was an armed USFS Ranger for 30+ years

and I received the same standard weapons and ROE training as any Federal LEO, ie: FBI, DEA, ATF, etc..
Game Wardens probably receive the same weapons training as their State counterparts.

[exboyfil]

16. Thanks for the info

I didn't know. I am glad that those positions are well trained.

[Sunlei]

7. should have been some kind of public warning a crazy was on rampage, shooting random people in cars

[mwrguy]

8. Our wars have created a million two-legged time bombs

And they are starting to go off one at a time.

[tblue]

17. All over the world.

So sad and so unnecessary. I'm kinda surprised it doesn't happen more often with the way we recruit, retain, overuse, and neglect our veterans.

[sodom]

9. quick

Ban assault rifles for active duty marines...

[MelungeonWoman]

15. More like

quietly hide this story before the gun control nuts get all wound up.

[harmonicon]

10. As a marine, I assume he had firearms training.

So, this story must just be impossible, because a responsible gun owner with proper training - like this guy - would never just go around shooting people.

[formercia]

11. Unless something pushed a button.

I wonder how many Combat Tours he had.

Funny he didn't keep the last round for himself....oh, wait...he still had plenty.

[premium]

13. I was wondering the same thing about how many combat tours.

PTSD possibly?

I did 1 combat tour in Vietnam and it messed be up pretty badly for awhile, luckily, I had family support to get through it and went on to contribute to society positively.

[sofa king]

14. "One motivated Marine."