CANTON, Texas — A man with a hit list shot and wounded a football coach Thursday at the high school where his son attended, and then fled in a pickup truck loaded with several weapons, authorities said.
Gary Joe Kinne, who is also the Canton High School (search) athletic director, was shot in the school's field house with an AK-47 (search) rifle, according to the state's Homeland Security office. Kinne was airlifted to a hospital in nearby Tyler, but authorities were not releasing his condition.
The Homeland Security office identified the shooter as Jeffrey Doyle Robertson, who fled the scene in a 2004 black Dodge pickup. Robertson had other weapons in his truck and had made a statements that he had a hit list and would not be taken alive, spokeswoman Sophie Yanez said.
Police were not clear on the motive, but authorities have received reports that Robertson and the coach had an "altercation" sometime after Kinne took over the program in 2003, said Jasmine Andresen, a Texas Department of Public Safety officer. Robertson's son was on the team.
Robertson's truck apparently was found abandoned near a golf course off Interstate 20 between Tyler and Canton about two hours after the shooting, authorities said.
"The Sheriff's Department, DPS and Texas Rangers are all out here, but I haven't seen anything," said Justin Hill, who works at the Garden Valley Golf Course's pro shop in Lindale. "No one's running around here with an AK-47."
Live television footage showed several police cars parked behind the truck, and officers had their weapons drawn. It was not clear whether anyone was in the truck.
Diane Price, a cashier at Sister's Cafe in Canton, said she has known Robertson for 37 years; he was a high school classmate of her daughter.
She said after the coach was shot, customers told her that Robertson, who turned 46 on Wednesday, had gotten drunk at a party last night and bragged about his plans.
"I've heard that he was ill and not expected to live and he was going to even some scores," said Price, who didn't know what illness Robertson supposedly suffered.
Asked about Robertson's reputation in the community, Price said: "I wouldn't say he was respected. But he was well-known."
Amanda Sheperd, owner of Backwoods Bar-B-Que in Canton, said she was alarmed when she heard about the shooting because her ninth-grade grandson, Ty Sheperd, plays baseball and has a class in the field house. She believes he had left the field house and gone to band class before the shooting.
"I talked to the school just now and they said the kids were taken care of, and they're not letting anybody in or out," said Sheperd, who was continuing to serve lunch customers as news helicopters hovered overhead the school about a half-mile away. "The guy's on the loose, so they're out looking for him."
Kinne took over as Canton coach after leaving Mesquite High School (search) before the 2003 season. His son, G. J. Kinne, was the AP 3A All-state honorable mention quarterback last season
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Simple_Torture wrote:
Mitchell613 wrote:
more proof that there is no civilian use for automatic weapons
Sure there is: shortening your hit list.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Mitchell613 wrote:
pjam81373 wrote:
Mitchell613 wrote:
more proof that there is no civilian use for automatic weapons
why would you need an automatic weapon?
b/c hunting is a dangerous hobby:
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm Posts: 13551 Location: is a jerk in wyoming Gender: Female
pjam81373 wrote:
Mitchell613 wrote:
pjam81373 wrote:
Mitchell613 wrote:
more proof that there is no civilian use for automatic weapons
why would you need an automatic weapon?
To shoot people.
If I beat you to death with a tire iron would that prove there is no use for tire irons?
this is a tired argument. Guns are designed to cause physical injury and/or kill. Tire Irons and every other article you can think of to substitute (like a car, which is a common one for this argument) are not. Humans can kill with almost anything, including bare hands. That doesn't mean automatic weapons are good weapons of self defense.
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
just to clarify here, automatic weapons have been banned since the 1920's for public use.
The weapon in question is semi automatic (unless it has the fairly common illegal modifications to the contrary)
It was legal under the former assault weapons ban and it is currently legal in it's semi automatic form with a clip limit of under 10 rounds.
Many people the world over actually hunt animals and people with them. It is the prefered weapon of most militant grops the world over because it's cheap, durable and ammo is in mass supply. They are manufactured in Russia and China. With parts coming from all over.
There are 20 or so different varities.
Essentially the gun in question is not the problem. The "moron with the weapons" is.
The better question is how do we keep weapons out of the hands of morons?
Actually the new, shoot on site in Florida law is a little more frightening, because it implys all permited concealed weapons carriers are actually bright enough to 1) only hit their target 2) determine when they are actually threatened 3) intelligent enough not to open fire in a crowded street.
Last edited by Electromatic on Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
more proof that there is no civilian use for automatic weapons
why would you need an automatic weapon?
To shoot people.
If I beat you to death with a tire iron would that prove there is no use for tire irons?
this is a tired argument. Guns are designed to cause physical injury and/or kill. Tire Irons and every other article you can think of to substitute (like a car, which is a common one for this argument) are not. Humans can kill with almost anything, including bare hands. That doesn't mean automatic weapons are good weapons of self defense.
But certainly this story doesn't prove automatic weapons are not good weapons for self defense. Just b.c some asshole shot somebody that didn't deserve to be shot doesn't mean an automatic weapon would never be useful.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm Posts: 13551 Location: is a jerk in wyoming Gender: Female
As you'd expect, I don't dig any kind of gun in a home (civilian) setting, but that's me, and I don't own one nor do I ever intent to own one, but I really don't understand the logic behind owning an automatioc (or semi-automatic) weapon. It's just begging to be used in a completely bad way when being in the hands of 'civilians' - even if it's kept locked away from children etc, what if you take one out during a robbery attempt, the robber over powers you, takes the weapon, shoots you to death, and then has a weapon much more capable of killing scores of people at once instead?
why not just an old fashioned hunting rifle? They can be just as deadly in a situation one on one against a robber, yet much less deadly around large groups of people, does this make no sense because it always did to me.
As you'd expect, I don't dig any kind of gun in a home (civilian) setting, but that's me, and I don't own one nor do I ever intent to own one, but I really don't understand the logic behind owning an automatioc (or semi-automatic) weapon. It's just begging to be used in a completely bad way when being in the hands of 'civilians' - even if it's kept locked away from children etc, what if you take one out during a robbery attempt, the robber over powers you, takes the weapon, shoots you to death, and then has a weapon much more capable of killing scores of people at once instead?
why not just an old fashioned hunting rifle? They can be just as deadly in a situation one on one against a robber, yet much less deadly around large groups of people, does this make no sense because it always did to me.
Actually for the most part I agree with you. I've never even fired a gun never mind own one. If I was going to get a gun to protect my home and family I'd probably get a shotgun.
However just b/c I wouldn't own one doesn't mean no one should.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:17 pm Posts: 13551 Location: is a jerk in wyoming Gender: Female
pjam81373 wrote:
malice wrote:
As you'd expect, I don't dig any kind of gun in a home (civilian) setting, but that's me, and I don't own one nor do I ever intent to own one, but I really don't understand the logic behind owning an automatioc (or semi-automatic) weapon. It's just begging to be used in a completely bad way when being in the hands of 'civilians' - even if it's kept locked away from children etc, what if you take one out during a robbery attempt, the robber over powers you, takes the weapon, shoots you to death, and then has a weapon much more capable of killing scores of people at once instead?
why not just an old fashioned hunting rifle? They can be just as deadly in a situation one on one against a robber, yet much less deadly around large groups of people, does this make no sense because it always did to me.
Actually for the most part I agree with you. I've never even fired a gun never mind own one. If I was going to get a gun to protect my home and family I'd probably get a shotgun.
However just b/c I wouldn't own one doesn't mean no one should.
jesus, I must be getting soft in my old age, I don't have a nasty comeback.
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