Cousin of Texas governor killed by deputies

[Ian David]

Source: Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a cousin of Texas Gov. Rick Perry in an exchange of gunfire with sheriff's deputies.

An attorney for Larry Don Wheeler's estate says the 74-year-old north Texas man was on his backyard deck Saturday night at his Montague (mahn-TAYG') County home. David Gossom said Thursday that's when deputies responded to a disturbance call.

Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey (muh-GOY') says Wheeler was holding a shotgun and an officer was shot in the hand. No other details have been released, and an autopsy is pending.

Perry's office wouldn't elaborate on his relationship with Wheeler, a retired social worker listed as a member of the governor's 2006 re-election campaign steering committee.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hhaezpPWDnYDoIPPqDXYQw8JR3mQD9B2G9401

---

MONTAGUE COUNTY, TEXAS (BNO NEWS) – Deputies with the Montague County Sheriff's Department have shot and killed a cousin of Texas Governor Rick Perry, officials told BNO News on Thursday.

The cousin was identified as 74-year-old Larry Don Wheeler. Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey told BNO News that sheriff's deputies initially responded to a 911 call of shots fired at his home at a Montague County country club on Saturday night.

When two deputies arrived on the scene, Wheeler, who was sitting on his backyard deck, pointed a shotgun at the officers and opened fire. One officer sustained a wound to his hand from the shots, McGaughey said. The officers then returned fire, and fatally shot Wheeler.

It was not immediately clear as to why Wheeler may have decided to open fire. The Texas Rangers, and an investigator from the Montague County District Attorney's Office is investigating the case. McGaughey said the sheriff's department is not involved in the investigation.


More:
http://news.bnonews.com/m7md

[monmouth]

1. Possibly drunk???....n/t

[tiny elvis]

16. hepped up on mary jane

[curiousdemo]

17. Part of Perry Separatist Klan......

The old geezer was on the fringe, thanks to our Separatist Governor. :mad:

[struggle4progress]

21. I'll take "drunk rightwing Texans with shotguns" for $500, Alex

[Divine Discontent]

2. he must have been encouraged by the Guv's secession propaganda & just said screw it...

wow, shot at the deputies immediately... he certainly had to know he was going to die.

[MajorChode]

3. The nuts don't fall far from the family tree

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[derby378]

6. That wasn't nice...

I'd rather Perry and Wheeler retired to their favorite fishing hole. I didn't want to see either of them die, especially not like this.

[Ian David]

7. I guess "Ignored" is staying classy? n/t

[grace0418]

9. This is the kind of thing freepers say, not DUers.

Murder isn't funny, no matter who's getting killed.

[T Wolf]

13. Who was murdered? Report says he shot at police. I would expect the L&O fans here to

celebrate the cops taking out a threat.

DU is confusing at times - what with the inconsistency expressed so often.

[grace0418]

14. Fine, let's say "killed". It's still an awful thing to say, and does not belong on DU.

I don't see what's confusing about that.

[curiousdemo]

18. The old fart got to know, you don't SHOOT

at a law enforcement officer! I'll take the officer, who put his life on the line every day. It's isn't funny, its crazy for anyone to point a gun at a police officer and shoot at him. Good night, sweet prince!

[tXr]

11. You are as much of a hater as the "freepers" you so despise,

but that irony is lost upon you. You don't care as long as you can get your hate on.

[T Wolf]

12. Are you saying that goals do not matter? To use a phrase pushed by the collaborators on

our side - it's better to lose?

Personally, I would rather win this war against the reich, even if it takes tactics that some here find "beneath them."

BUt to many, obviously, the image of fighting the good fight and keeping their hands clean means more than actually achieving the goal of a liberal society.

[LanternWaste]

26. One does not deny the other...

"keeping their hands clean means more than actually achieving the goal of a liberal society."

One does not deny the other... unless one is a simpleton.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

15. More assassination talk from you?

Isnt this like the third time (that I have seen)where you are either wishing or calling for the assassination of someone. I am wondering why you are still here.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Was he trying to secede from Texas? nt

[Ian David]

8. Self-delete. Misidentified satire as fact. n/t

[Rebubula]

10. Well...

...aim a gun at a cop and you take your chances...

[Ian David]

19. Gov. Perry cousin's death probed Man killed when deputies returned fire

Gov. Perry cousin's death probed
Man killed when deputies returned fire

<snip>

He also had a passion for politics — including working to support his cousin, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, according to his obituary.

<snip>

Law enforcement agencies in the area didn’t report any previous problems with him.

Wheeler died following an exchange of gunfire with deputies who arrived to investigate a call about a gunshot in the area.

<snip>

What he doesn’t have is clear information on the conversation that took place between Wheeler and the law officers leading up to the shooting, he said.

More:
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/sep/30/perry-cousins-death-probed/

[tomm2thumbs]

20. mini-Waco

[DFW]

22. The best phrase is in the Raw Story article (VERY fitting)

"Perry is widely known as a 'tough-on-crime' politician who fiercely supports the death penalty and aggressive policing."

So, now this fiercely supportive cousin of his gets killed in a shootout with the police.

It sounds horrible, it sounds tragic, and it sounds quite avoidable. But our illustrious governor DID get
what he supports, after all: aggressive policing and a dead person. It must have made his day.

[Ian David]

23. Ouch. n/t

[DFW]

44. Some other Texan emailed me about my comment

He said that it a good thing the Lord will see that the right things get done to the right people.

You can see what we're up against...........

[KansDem]

24. Maybe he thought he could "Joe Horn" them...

...but was wrong.

[DebbieCDC]

25. What is it with the three names?

Honestly, I have never been able to figure this out -- is it just a southern thing?

[Union Yes]

27. Cousin of Texas governor killed by deputies

Source: AP

AUSTIN, Texas – A cousin of Texas Gov. Rick Perry was shot and killed over the weekend in his backyard during an exchange of gunfire with sheriff's deputies, officials said Thursday.

Perry said Thursday that the death was tragic but stressed he hardly knew his cousin, 74-year-old Larry Don Wheeler, even though he was listed as a member of Perry's 2006 re-election steering committee.

"I'm not sure I would pick him out of a lineup," the governor said of Wheeler, who he said was a distant cousin on his grandmother's side.

Wheeler was sitting on his backyard deck after dinner Saturday night at his home at a Montague County country club when two sheriff's deputies showed up in response to a disturbance call, said David Gossom, an attorney for the family.

"We received a call ... of a man with a shotgun," Montague County Sheriff Paul Cunningham said. "Several citizens in the area were concerned."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091001/ap_on_re_us/us_texas_governor_cousin_shooting

---

So you don't know your cousin who was part of your campaign staff Gov Perry?

Can't make this shit up.

[Ilsa]

28. This is really weird stuff.

I have to confess that I also have cousins I wouldn't recognize. I haven't seen some of them in 25+ years, and that was only for a few hours at a family reunion.

[Union Yes]

30. Agree, but

If you or I were running for Guv, wouldn't we go out of our way to get reaquainted with a long lost cousin if we found out he were on our staff? I know this is a kinda corny comparison.

To me it sounds like Perry, a total scumbag Neocon in every sense is trying to lie to distance himself.

Jus sayin.

:hi:

[AuntPatsy]

32. Could he not be any more obvious..what a pathetic excuse for a human being..

denouncing family to ensure nothing bad touches your pathetic need to stay in power...they continue to keep going lower than I thought possible...

[Ilsa]

43. I completely agree. I would go out of my way to get my cousin on board

with family, invite him over, etc. Definitely. Family is important. Perry is an asshole. I just don't understand why the texans around me keep voting for him.

[Happyhippychick]

29. He certainly is rushing to distance himself from this guy. I bet there's a lot more to this story.

[Union Yes]

31. +1

[jhrobbins]

34. There is a LOT MORE to a lot of Mr. Perry's stories. The 'gay' thing

about Perry seems to crop up every so often, but nothing ever comes of it.

[madeline_con]

33. Perry needs to be investigated for "phantom committee members". n/t

[defendandprotect]

35. "I'm not sure I would pick him out of a lineup,"

[bleever]

37. He expected to see him in a line-up?

Odd choice of words there, huh.

[MetaTrope]

36. Looks like one of the BFEE's John Hinckleys snapped a little too early

[Hawkeye-X]

38. I have cousins in New Joisey

My dad broke off all connections with his own brother because frankly he's WAAAAAY out to the right, that the right is starting to touch the left.

So I have virtually no contact with them.

Hawkeye-X

[mackerel]

39. Damn activist Sheriff's!

[4lbs]

40. Was the cousin trying to 'secede' ? (n/t)

.

[Hubert Flottz]

41. Reminds me of how W hardly knew Kenny Boy.

[RedCloud]

42. Shoot first and ask questions later.