Texas had 7 mass shootings over 10 years. Meanwhile, gun control has loosened statewide.
Texas has a history of deadly mass shootings. Many have sparked public debate about what legislation should be passed to prevent another one. Full Story
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![A lone policeman outside the WalMart in El Paso where a mass shooting took place on Saturday, August 3, 2019.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz calls efforts to halt Rodney Reed's execution "remarkable bipartisan coalition"
"If there is credible evidence there’s a real chance a defendant is innocent, that evidence should be weighed carefully," Cruz tweeted Friday night. Full Story
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![From left, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rodney Reed.]()
Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Two Texas Democrats have been campaigning in a statewide race that probably won't be on the ballot
Amid confusion over the state’s mandatory retirement law, a state official confirmed to the Democratic Party months ago that the race for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 would appear on the 2020 ballot. It probably won't. Full Story
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![From left, Mark Watson and Mike Snipes, candidates for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6.]()
Credit: Images via the candidates' campaign websites -
Federal judge delays execution of “Texas Seven” prisoner over claims of religious discrimination
For the second time, a court has stopped Murphy's execution over concerns that the Texas prison system's execution procedures discriminate against non-Christian inmates. Full Story
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![Patrick Murphy.]()
Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas executes Justen Hall for murder of woman in El Paso
Hall told a trial judge he needed "to be put down" in 2016. Lawyers questioned his mental health and asked an El Paso court to delay the execution until Hall's competency can be evaluated. Full Story
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![Justen Hall is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 6, 2019.]()
Credit: Jenevieve Robbins for Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Texas lawmakers ask Gov. Greg Abbott to stop execution of Rodney Reed, whose guilt is widely doubted
Rodney Reed's guilt in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites has been questioned for decades. A bipartisan group of lawmakers join national calls to stop his upcoming execution. Full Story
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![Rodney Reed was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites in Bastrop.]()
Credit: Courtesy KXAN -
Texas law requires retired police dogs be auctioned off. Proposition 10 would send them home with their handlers.
On Nov. 5, voters have the chance to change the Texas Constitution to ensure retired law enforcement animals can be adopted by their handlers, erasing a decades-old requirement that government property must be sold or destroyed when no longer in use. Full Story
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![Correctional Officer 5, Mike Warren, (background right) and Lt. Stacy Halbert (back left) look over the contraband dog, Gus, during a demonstration of how the dog seeks out cell phones around the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on April 23, 2014.]()
Credit: Brandon Thibodeaux for The Texas Tribune -
2 dead, at least 14 wounded after shooting at party in Greenville, Texas
Brandon Ray Gonzales, 23, was arrested Monday on a capital murder charge. The suspect is being held at the county jail with bail set at $1 million. Full Story
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![Police gather at the scene of a shooting Greenville on Oct. 27, 2019.]()
Credit: Screenshot via NBCDFW -
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen says, “No laws were broken.” Legal hurdles remain.
Bonnen has been eager to dismiss speculation that he did anything illegal during a June 12 meeting with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. But a probe into the event is ongoing. Full Story
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![Opening Day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature with action in the Texas House
Election of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, by unanimous vote.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Fort Worth officer arrested and charged with murder of Atatiana Jefferson
Police Chief Ed Kraus apologized to Jefferson's family. Full Story
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![Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean.]()
Credit: Via social media -
Fort Worth police shooting spurs calls for transparency, justice in death of 28-year-old woman
A white Fort Worth police officer shot and killed a black woman in a home while responding to a request for a wellness check. Full Story
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![Atatiana Jefferson was fatally shot in her home by a Fort Worth police officer on Oct. 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Via social media -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recuses himself from opinion, citing conflict of interest
A local official had asked Paxton for legal guidance on special prosecutor pay — a major question in the criminal case against Paxton himself. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state capitol. Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Judge halts execution for man convicted of killing two Henderson County deputies
Randall Mays was scheduled to be executed Oct. 16, but the judge removed the death warrant amid questions that Mays may not be mentally competent to be put to death. Full Story
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![Randall Mayes]()
Credit: TDCJ -
A GPS company repossessed a Houston murder suspect's ankle monitor for late fees. He was untracked for two weeks.
The incident highlights differences in GPS monitoring for defendants released from jail on money bonds and no-cash bonds. One department has arrestees pay vendors directly, the other has costs go through them. Full Story
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Amber Guyger was hugged by her victim’s brother and a judge, igniting a debate about forgiveness and race
Some were confused, troubled and outraged after Amber Guyger received embraces from both the victim's brother and the judge. Full Story
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![Botham Jean's younger brother Brandt Jean hugs former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger after delivering his impact statement to her following her 10-year prison sentence for murder at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Tom Fox -
Amber Guyger trial highlighted why Dallas communities of color often distrust law enforcement
Hours after the former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing Botham Jean, the city's top cop vowed to launch an internal investigation into police behavior exposed at trial. Full Story
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![Members of Botham Jean’s family rejoice in the courtroom after former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder by a 12-person jury in the 204th District Court at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 1, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Tom Fox -
Sikh Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal remembered as “all that is good"
A memorial service was held for Sandeep Dhaliwal, the first observant Sikh deputy in Harris County, who was killed in a routine traffic stop Friday. Full Story
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![A service is held for Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Dhaliwal was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Sept. 27, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison in murder of Botham Jean
Guyger could have received as few as five years or a sentence of up to life in prison. Full Story
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![With her new Bible in hand, former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger leaves the 204th District Court for jail after receiving a hug from Botham Jean's brother Brandt Jean at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Tom Fox/Pool via REUTERS -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatens to intervene in Austin’s “homelessness crisis”
Abbott’s office lamented reports of “violence, used needles, and feces littering the streets of Austin and endangering Texas residents.” Full Story
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![Tents set up near the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, or ARCH, in downtown Austin on Aug. 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
A trial judge recommended taking Paul Storey off death row. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said no.
The state's highest criminal court rejected the judge's finding that Storey should be resentenced to life in prison after prosecutors falsely said at trial that the murder victim's family wanted the death penalty. Full Story
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![Paul Storey.]()
Credit: Jenevieve Robbins/TDCJ