CHL holder arrested in shooting incident
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:28 am
Council member jailed in parking lot shooting
Glenn Heights: Man, 32, wounded in face; suspect calls it accident
07:00 AM CDT on Friday, August 25, 2006
By HOLLY YAN and HERB BOOTH / The Dallas Morning News
A Glenn Heights City Council member was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon early Thursday after admitting to police that he shot a man in the face, authorities said.
Tony Ray Brown, 47, was taken into custody about 1 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 9900 block of Whitehurst Drive in Lake Highlands. He was being held at Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Thursday in lieu of $75,000 bail. Mr. Brown also was being held on two outstanding warrants out of Ellis County accusing him of tampering with a government record and theft of property by check.
According to a Dallas police report, Mr. Brown and 32-year-old Luis Rosales were in the Lake Highlands apartment parking lot about 12:30 a.m. Mr. Brown "had a Keltec .32-caliber automatic pistol and shot [Mr. Rosales] once in the face," the police report states. Mr. Rosales "was struck in the jaw and suffered significant injury." The report also states Mr. Brown admitted to shooting Mr. Rosales. Mr. Rosales was taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and could not be reached for comment. Hospital officials did not release his condition.
In an interview at the jail Thursday, Mr. Brown said the shooting was an accident. Mr. Brown said he was visiting friends at the apartment complex. He said he believes Mr. Rosales is an ex-boyfriend of one of the people he was visiting but he isn't sure. At some point, Mr. Brown said, he was carrying his gun between his truck and an apartment when Mr. Rosales "tried to get it out of my hands and it went off and shot him." Mr. Brown offered no explanation for why Mr. Rosales tried to grab his weapon but said there was a lot of "horseplay" at the time. After the shooting, Mr. Brown said, he grabbed Mr. Rosales and said, "Oh my God. Oh my God."
Dallas police Sgt. R.T. Smith declined to answer questions about the shooting. "I'm not going to say anything about the case. I don't want to compromise the investigation," said Sgt. Smith, a supervisor in the assaults unit.
Thursday's incident wasn't Mr. Brown's first run-in with the law. Earlier this year, residents demanded Mr. Brown's resignation after he was arrested on charges of tampering with a government document and interfering with an investigation into abuse or neglect. Glenn Heights police Detective Kevon Howard said police sent in paperwork this year asking the state to revoke Mr. Brown's concealed handgun license. He said the state has not responded.
Some of Mr. Brown's colleagues on the City Council said they are fed up with him. "Before I was elected in May, I asked for his resignation," council member Malinda Holley said. "And others have, too. He needs to resign. The council and the city shouldn't be held hostage by him or his personal problems." Ms. Holley said that according to the city charter, the council can't remove a colleague unless he or she is convicted of a felony. "It's obvious he has had some problems," Ms. Holley said. "He hasn't shown up at many meetings since May."
City records indicate Mr. Brown has attended four of 10 council meetings since May. Mr. Brown said that he has missed meetings because of ongoing problems from a 1986 auto accident and that he was released from the hospital about 10 days ago. He added that he is unsure whether he will keep his council seat in Glenn Heights, which straddles the Dallas-Ellis county line.
Mr. Brown's arrest comes a week after Glenn Heights Mayor Alvin DuBois resigned after a dispute with City Manager Georgia Vines and after Glenn Heights police accused him of tampering with a document. Ms. Vines first accused Mr. DuBois of verbally harassing her – an allegation he admitted – and then she accused him of disregarding the city charter. She outlined incidents in which Mr. DuBois had given direct instructions to rank-and-file city employees in the utilities, human resources and police departments, a violation of the city charter.
The City Council accepted Mr. DuBois' resignation at Monday night's meeting.
E-mail hyan@dallasnews.com
Glenn Heights: Man, 32, wounded in face; suspect calls it accident
07:00 AM CDT on Friday, August 25, 2006
By HOLLY YAN and HERB BOOTH / The Dallas Morning News
A Glenn Heights City Council member was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon early Thursday after admitting to police that he shot a man in the face, authorities said.
Tony Ray Brown, 47, was taken into custody about 1 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 9900 block of Whitehurst Drive in Lake Highlands. He was being held at Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Thursday in lieu of $75,000 bail. Mr. Brown also was being held on two outstanding warrants out of Ellis County accusing him of tampering with a government record and theft of property by check.
According to a Dallas police report, Mr. Brown and 32-year-old Luis Rosales were in the Lake Highlands apartment parking lot about 12:30 a.m. Mr. Brown "had a Keltec .32-caliber automatic pistol and shot [Mr. Rosales] once in the face," the police report states. Mr. Rosales "was struck in the jaw and suffered significant injury." The report also states Mr. Brown admitted to shooting Mr. Rosales. Mr. Rosales was taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and could not be reached for comment. Hospital officials did not release his condition.
In an interview at the jail Thursday, Mr. Brown said the shooting was an accident. Mr. Brown said he was visiting friends at the apartment complex. He said he believes Mr. Rosales is an ex-boyfriend of one of the people he was visiting but he isn't sure. At some point, Mr. Brown said, he was carrying his gun between his truck and an apartment when Mr. Rosales "tried to get it out of my hands and it went off and shot him." Mr. Brown offered no explanation for why Mr. Rosales tried to grab his weapon but said there was a lot of "horseplay" at the time. After the shooting, Mr. Brown said, he grabbed Mr. Rosales and said, "Oh my God. Oh my God."
Dallas police Sgt. R.T. Smith declined to answer questions about the shooting. "I'm not going to say anything about the case. I don't want to compromise the investigation," said Sgt. Smith, a supervisor in the assaults unit.
Thursday's incident wasn't Mr. Brown's first run-in with the law. Earlier this year, residents demanded Mr. Brown's resignation after he was arrested on charges of tampering with a government document and interfering with an investigation into abuse or neglect. Glenn Heights police Detective Kevon Howard said police sent in paperwork this year asking the state to revoke Mr. Brown's concealed handgun license. He said the state has not responded.
Some of Mr. Brown's colleagues on the City Council said they are fed up with him. "Before I was elected in May, I asked for his resignation," council member Malinda Holley said. "And others have, too. He needs to resign. The council and the city shouldn't be held hostage by him or his personal problems." Ms. Holley said that according to the city charter, the council can't remove a colleague unless he or she is convicted of a felony. "It's obvious he has had some problems," Ms. Holley said. "He hasn't shown up at many meetings since May."
City records indicate Mr. Brown has attended four of 10 council meetings since May. Mr. Brown said that he has missed meetings because of ongoing problems from a 1986 auto accident and that he was released from the hospital about 10 days ago. He added that he is unsure whether he will keep his council seat in Glenn Heights, which straddles the Dallas-Ellis county line.
Mr. Brown's arrest comes a week after Glenn Heights Mayor Alvin DuBois resigned after a dispute with City Manager Georgia Vines and after Glenn Heights police accused him of tampering with a document. Ms. Vines first accused Mr. DuBois of verbally harassing her – an allegation he admitted – and then she accused him of disregarding the city charter. She outlined incidents in which Mr. DuBois had given direct instructions to rank-and-file city employees in the utilities, human resources and police departments, a violation of the city charter.
The City Council accepted Mr. DuBois' resignation at Monday night's meeting.
E-mail hyan@dallasnews.com
