Deer Hunter Kills Fugitive...

[SHANEA]

Dangerous work of law enforcement claims 25 area officers since 1925

Just an interesting read.  The following are excerpts from the longer story.  I couldn't really follow the story about Red Bluff Lumber & Hardware Store in McCamey.

Texas Ranger Sgt. Jess Malone knew 11 of them and handled nine of the cases, including the dark story of the murder of Renfro, an Upton County deputy, on July 15, 1983, in Red Bluff Lumber & Hardware Store in McCamey.

"Dick Graham and his son Tom heard Chuck pull up," Malone said. "I was coming from Iraan and other deputies were on the way. Dick laid down behind the counter and loaded a shotgun. Chuck started down the aisle and Dick shot him three times in the back."

Deputy Tony Fulton exchanged 19 shots with the Grahams as they clambered out of the store through the roof and drove helter skelter away in their pickup -- thieves who traded guns for drugs in Mexico and were suspected in the deaths of several illegal immigrants.

"They were going across a field under a power line with their headlights off and we heard them hitting the poles," Malone said. "They totaled their truck and the manhunt went on for 57 hours.

"Cliff Hood and a kid named Price Poole worked at a gas plant south of Interstate 10 near Bakersfield. They worked out a signal so Price, the nightman, would pick up the phone and it would ring to Cliff's house."

Then a state trooper, Malone said the Grahams arrived and the father held Poole hostage with a .44 magnum Ruger Blackhawk pistol as Flood approached with a 12 gauge shotgun. "Price said, 'Dick, please don't kill me! I won't tell anybody,'" Malone said.

"Graham, who had a black bandana over his face, said, 'I wish you hadn't called me by my name.' Cliff walked up and raised his shotgun but didn't come in. Curiosity killed the cat. Dick Graham couldn't resist and when he turned around, Cliff shot him right below the Adam's apple at point blank range."

The ranger said Hood went inside, turned off the lights and saw 18-year-old Tom Graham approach with a .22 rifle and call, "Did you get him, daddy? Did you get him?"

"Cliff told me, 'I couldn't get him any closer, so I went ahead and shot at him.' He shot from 40 yards and partially blinded him. He looked like he had the measles.

"The kid told me, 'That's the meanest man I ever saw in my life! I asked if I could bring my hands up to pray and he said, 'Son, if God's going to hear you, He'll hear where your hands are now. If you move, I'll shoot you again.'"

Tom Graham got 30 years was released from prison in January 1990. He lives in Tyler and will be on parole until November 2013, according to state records.

Interesting about how the deer hunter saved the day.

Long died five miles east of Rankin on Highway 67, where a deer hunter killed the murderer with a .243 caliber rifle from a rest area 100 yards away. "Sammy had stopped him for speeding," said retired TDPS Sgt. Keith Morris, now a court bailiff.

"The hunter said the driver stepped out with his back to Sammy, turned and fired with a .32 semi-automatic pistol and hit Sammy in the right elbow. Sammy went down and was trying to get his gun with his left hand, but the driver got his pistol, straddled him and shot him six times in the back.

"When the hunter realized what was happening, he got his rifle and loaded it. He fired five shots and killed the suspect. He performed a good service. Had he not done that, we could have had a hard time finding the driver because he was in a stolen vehicle."

[presidio]

[Interesting about how the deer hunter saved the day.

Long died five miles east of Rankin on Highway 67, where a deer hunter killed the murderer with a .243 caliber rifle from a rest area 100 yards away. "Sammy had stopped him for speeding," said retired TDPS Sgt. Keith Morris, now a court bailiff.

"The hunter said the driver stepped out with his back to Sammy, turned and fired with a .32 semi-automatic pistol and hit Sammy in the right elbow. Sammy went down and was trying to get his gun with his left hand, but the driver got his pistol, straddled him and shot him six times in the back.

"When the hunter realized what was happening, he got his rifle and loaded it. He fired five shots and killed the suspect. He performed a good service. Had he not done that, we could have had a hard time finding the driver because he was in a stolen vehicle."

This incident happened around 1976 or so. I remember hearing about it one day on the Paul Harvey radio show. Paul brought up the issue of the hunter saving the day as some example of how raw, violent and uncultured the west was (as opposed to his effete eastern locale). He clearly was affronted by the fact that someone would take such direct action and 'use a gun' no less. Somehow, the fact that a violent, escaped felon had precipitated the event never seemed to factor into Paul's equation...typical for apologist media. Paul (sniffing in his superior way) opined that it being Texas, the hunter would probably get a gun as a reward. That is exactly what happened some months later when the state legislature (or maybe it was DPS....in Austin anyway) presented the hunter with an engraved, special edition Colt 1911.

I'm sure Paul was shocked. Everybody else who had their head screwed on straight applauded the hunter.