Posted on 01/24/2004 6:54:06 AM PST by buffyt
FREEPORT Police were looking for a man Friday night who they said shot a BASF security guard at the perimeter of the plant near FM 1495 and Highway 36.
Freeport Police Chief Henrietta Gonzalez said the guard approached a suspicious truck about 9:20 p.m. and the man inside said he had been taking pictures. He then shot the guard in the shoulder area, Gonzalez said.
He was shot at point-blank range, said Detective Sgt. Sue Dietrich. You could see the powder burns.
Police did not release the guards name, but said he was doing well at Brazosport Memorial Hospital late Friday night.
The guard told police the shooter was a man of Middle-Eastern descent with bushy hair and a mustache, and had been driving a white pickup with tinted windows and a black stripe. The truck did not have a front license plate, according to police radio reports.
BASF spokeswoman Sharon Rogers said there is no indication the shooting is linked to terrorism.
There is nothing for us to indicate anything other than there is a shooting that happened on our property, Rogers said. Well just have to see what the investigation will reveal.
Rogers said the security guard was employeed by Munday Corp., which provides the plants security force.
The culprit left the scene just after the shooting and did not get inside the plant gates, police said.
As of 10:30 p.m., Dietrich said the incident was not being investigated as an attempted terrorist attack.
FBI officials in Houston confirmed they had been notified of the incident but would not comment further.
The guard had been patrolling the perimeter of the plant, outside the gate and near a water tower, but in view of the plants ammonia tank. There was no access road or gate into the plant from the site of the shooting.
The wounded guard managed to drive down FM 1495 to the nearest plant gate, where an off-duty sheriffs deputy working security at the plant called police.
The truck was last seen heading west on Highway 36, according to police radio reports.
The SCARIEST... it gave me an idea... a new American special-ops corps, whose reputation would make our enemies quake in their shoes:
The Estrogen-Deprived Women's Corps
HA!
Don't laugh.
..that's exactly what they're going to do.
He needs to file a law soot.. maybe involve Johnny Cochran.
Stay safe, Stay Aware....and don't play with yer duty weapon !
You folks are a hoot!
You mean that "men of middle eastern descent" have the exclusive right to be the only people in the world that are allowed to carry out terrorist attacks?
YOU are a hoot!
Usama says: "All good muslim arab terrorists will join CAIR today!"
Uh.... good.
Hey, I'm a Scot. I work in a plant.
They do not make fire-retardant kilts, and I have never asked for any.
It might be a good idea for me, though, as I tend to be careless with flammables.
The guard was shot in the shoulder by a man he came across while conducting a routine patrol of the factory. The guard, whose name was not released, is in stable condition after surgery at a local hospital, Freeport Police Chief Henrietta Gonzalez said.
The guard approached a man in a pickup truck parked in a suspicious area, she said. The man rolled down his window and told the guard he was taking pictures of the lights around Freeport's port area and the BASF plant, Gonzalez said.
When the guard reached to open his microphone to report to his dispatcher, the driver of the truck pulled a gun and fired, hitting him in the right shoulder, she said.
The shooter sped away, and the guard drove himself to the factory gate where he knew armed, off-duty Brazoria County Sheriff's officers, employed by the company, were posted. The 911 call was made at around 9 p.m. local time, she said.
The guard said the male shooter had dark hair, a dark mustache and had not recently shaved. He spoke in accented English, the guard told authorities.
The FBI is monitoring the situation but said the Freeport police is the lead agency, FBI agent Bob Dogium said. "Right now there's no indication that it was terrorism," he said.
Gonzalez said the suspect was driving a white, half-ton, dual-cab Chevrolet pickup truck with dark-tinted windows and no front license plate, which is required in Texas. The security guard said he could not see if there was a rear plate because the tailgate was down, she said.
Police have found the slug, which went through the guard's shoulder, and are testing it. Gonzalez said officers believe it came from a 9 mm or .380 handgun.
The Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF is one of the world's largest chemical manufacturers. The Freeport complex includes 16 plants, including an ammonia plant next to the deepwater cargo port. The facility produces adhesives, super absorbers, paints, nylons and plastics.
Freeport is on the Gulf of Mexico about 60 miles southeast of Houston.
C'mon, it can;t be personal AND against a whole thread full of people. Pick one.
Let's see... a man of Middle Eastern descent with bushy hair and a mustache is taking pictures of a chemical plant from his pickup and when approached by a security guard, he shoots the guard and drvies off.
And they tell still say that there is no indication that this can be terrorism?
Again I say, that these people, either through their ineptitude, their blindness, or their propensity to try and keep the truth from the poor masses who they feel can't handle it (only they can handle the truth and protect us poor defenseless and untutored folk) are going to end up making matters much worse and encouraging more terrorism from these animals.
That attitude, in part, led to 911 IMHO...and its continuance will lead ultimately to worse if we are not careful.
In the face of what happened, it is unbelievable that an FBI agent would make this statement. No comment, too soon to tell should have been the word.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.