Journalist says commissioner pushed him during argument
12:06 AM CDT on Thursday, September 2, 2004
A newspaper editor has told police that Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price shoved him and threatened to kill him during a heated argument at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
No arrests were made.
The longtime county commissioner and outspoken civil rights activist denied any wrongdoing, saying it was he who was assaulted.
"This is politically motivated," Mr. Price said Wednesday afternoon. "He bumped up against me. It wasn't a big deal. All I said was he was just a jailhouse 'snitch,' with a consonant change."
Darryl Blair of the Elite News, a newspaper geared toward the black community, told police that about 12:30 p.m., he and Mr. Price were in the Dallas City Council chambers when the commissioner "pushed him shoulder to shoulder," according to a police report.
Both men continued "exchanging words" as they walked to the City Hall flag room, just off the council chambers on the sixth floor, the report states. Mr. Blair told officers Mr. Price threatened to kill him.
By the time police arrived, Mr. Price was gone. Mr. Blair filed an assault report, but no citation had been issued by Wednesday evening, said a police spokesman.
"It will be left up to the detective if a citation is warranted," said Lt. Anthony Williams, a Dallas police spokesman.
Mr. Blair said he was disheartened over Wednesday's fracas.