Posted on 12/23/2008 8:45:16 PM PST by PghBaldy
Investigators have identified a former Utah state trooper as a suspect in a series of highway shootings in Dallas that left two motorists dead, police said. Brian Smith, 37, who now lives in Keller, shot himself early Tuesday during a standoff in Garland with a SWAT team.
Smith was listed in critical condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
"We feel confident because of the ballistics tests that we have at this point that he (Smith) is responsible for the shootings, " said Sgt. Gil Cerda, police spokesman... Smith supervised about five patrolmen in the Salt Lake City area and was well-respected and well-liked in the division of about 50 troopers, Nigbur said. Smith was married and had young children, Nigbur said.
In May, Smith agreed to surrender his law enforcement certification, after an internal investigation into a January incident in which he threatened to kill himself, according to a report released Tuesday.
On January 10, Smith consumed two pints of hard liquor before calling his bishop and asking him to come over, according to the documents. When the bishop arrived, they sat in Smith’s highway patrol vehicle and Smith held his handgun to his chin. The bishop took the gun and called authorities, who took Smith into custody without incident.
Smith began abusing alcohol and prescription medications after an on-duty traffic accident, according to the report.
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
Cops gone wild.
Sounds like the poor bastard had some demons.
Its a shame he had to unleash them on the innocent
Horrible.
Dont they give these guys Psych tests?
Heck I had to take one to ride submarines
No excuse for this fellow's actions, but chronic pain can really suck the life out of you.
I'm guessing that the accident involved an 18 wheeler, which would explain why he targeted the innocent truck drivers.
I wonder, did he wash out of SWAT because his shot sucked? I guess we will find out if he doesn’t die real quick....If you can’t get a kill shot at point blank range, maybe SWAT was an overreach at the first thought?
This is from eTrucker
... William Scott Miller, of Frankfort, Ky., was shot as he was driving his 18-wheeler on the LBJ Expressway in northeast Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reported. His rig came to a stop in the middle lane of the westbound LBJ, police said.
“The plan was he was going to fly home to be with his wife and kids,” Lt. Craig Miller of the Dallas homicide unit said.
Lt. Miller called the truck driver’s actions “heroic.” No other people were injured as Mr. Miller maneuvered his truck out of traffic. “Even though he was mortally wounded, he was able to control his rig,” Lt. Miller said.
"We are deeply saddened by this senseless act, and our hearts go out to the family of William Scott Miller, his wife Shannon and their two young daughters," United Van Lines said in a statement. "He will be greatly missed. Scott was a part of the United Van Lines team for nearly two years and had a flawless safety record. He was an asset to our company both personally and professionally."
Mr. Miller worked for the Vincent Fister agency in Lexington, Ky., a United spokesperson said.
Prayers up for the families.
Sadness
Photos of the douche bag and his victims http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6180027.html
Ex-trooper in road shootings struggled with addiction, Utah officials say
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/122408dnmetshootingsider.3ec1d28.html
Yowch. He’s lucky to be alive.
Very. But the department even tried to keep him from getting disability.
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