Officer shot in head at point-blank range
Houston Chronicle - United States
By BRIAN ROGERS and JENNIFER LATSON
Dec. 9, 2008, 11:14PM
People shivered under umbrellas in a dark parking lot Tuesday night to pay respects to Houston police officer Timothy Abernethy, whose death was described in a courtoom earlier in the day as a cold-blooded killing.
Abernethy was shot Sunday morning after a traffic stop led to a chase on foot through a troubled northwest Houston apartment complex. Prosecutors allege that 28-year-old Mabry Joseph Landor III, out of prison on parole, shot the policeman three times, knocking him to the ground, and then walked over and shot the officer once more in the head from point-blank range.
Tuesday night, church leaders arranged a flashlight vigil at the complex, Luxor Park, in Abernethy's honor. More than 100 people attended, including about 20 police officers, despite blustery wind and rain. Most of the others were Luxor Park residents, among them the handful who tried to help Abernethy in his final moments. They hoped the vigil would help improve relations between complex residents and the Houston Police Department, which they said was marred by mistrust on both sides.
In a court hearing Tuesday morning, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Craig Goodhart told a judge that Landor led Abernethy on a chase through the complex, then turned and fired three shots that wounded the officer, knocking him down near the apartment playground.
Goodhart said witnesses saw Landor walk up to the stricken officer and shoot him in the head while he lay on the ground.
When Landor was questioned Sunday, he told police that his gun had fired accidentally after he tripped and fell, the prosecutor added. Landor made his brief court appearance Tuesday in handcuffs, clad in a yellow jumpsuit that signifies high-risk prisoners in the Harris County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
State District Judge Michael McSpadden appointed attorneys Chuck Hinton and Kenneth Goode to represent Landor. He then granted their request that he prohibit police from trying to question Landor further about the incident. Hinton declined to comment on the case.
A spokesman for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office said Abernethy died from gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Chief Investigator Beverly Begay said there was no indication that Abernethy had been wounded in the torso, arms or legs.
Houston Chronicle - United States
By BRIAN ROGERS and JENNIFER LATSON
Dec. 9, 2008, 11:14PM
People shivered under umbrellas in a dark parking lot Tuesday night to pay respects to Houston police officer Timothy Abernethy, whose death was described in a courtoom earlier in the day as a cold-blooded killing.
Abernethy was shot Sunday morning after a traffic stop led to a chase on foot through a troubled northwest Houston apartment complex. Prosecutors allege that 28-year-old Mabry Joseph Landor III, out of prison on parole, shot the policeman three times, knocking him to the ground, and then walked over and shot the officer once more in the head from point-blank range.
Tuesday night, church leaders arranged a flashlight vigil at the complex, Luxor Park, in Abernethy's honor. More than 100 people attended, including about 20 police officers, despite blustery wind and rain. Most of the others were Luxor Park residents, among them the handful who tried to help Abernethy in his final moments. They hoped the vigil would help improve relations between complex residents and the Houston Police Department, which they said was marred by mistrust on both sides.
In a court hearing Tuesday morning, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Craig Goodhart told a judge that Landor led Abernethy on a chase through the complex, then turned and fired three shots that wounded the officer, knocking him down near the apartment playground.
Goodhart said witnesses saw Landor walk up to the stricken officer and shoot him in the head while he lay on the ground.
When Landor was questioned Sunday, he told police that his gun had fired accidentally after he tripped and fell, the prosecutor added. Landor made his brief court appearance Tuesday in handcuffs, clad in a yellow jumpsuit that signifies high-risk prisoners in the Harris County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
State District Judge Michael McSpadden appointed attorneys Chuck Hinton and Kenneth Goode to represent Landor. He then granted their request that he prohibit police from trying to question Landor further about the incident. Hinton declined to comment on the case.
A spokesman for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office said Abernethy died from gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Chief Investigator Beverly Begay said there was no indication that Abernethy had been wounded in the torso, arms or legs.
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