Wheelchair-Bound Fredericton Man Gunned Down by Police in Texas
November 22, 2009 by Ed A. Tor
Filed under Featured, International News, Provincial News
A Fredericton, New Brunswick man, confined to a wheelchair, was gunned down by a local Deputy when a scuffle broke out in Fort Stockton, Texas on Friday afternoon.
Thomas Andrew Reid, 37, was shot and killed by a Sheriff Deputy in the parking lot of a local motel in Fort Stockton, Texas on Saturday.
The Deputies are claiming that Mr. Reid was in the parking lot of the Deluxe Inn screaming and yelling when they arrived and asked him to calm down. Sheriff Cliff Harris claims that when he refused, Deputies attempted to arrest him. Next a scuffle broke out and it is alleged that Mr. Reid grabbed a Deputy’s gun and fired a single shot. That is when another Deputy shot and killed Mr. Reid.
As a result of this event the Texas Rangers are investigating to determine if the Deputies are offering an accurate account of the incident.
SOURCE OF STORY: http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11548462#
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UPDATED 10:10 p.m. New, Bizarre Details Surface in Fort Stockton Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting 11/21/09
Jordan Reagan
CBS 7 News
November 21, 2009
More and more bizarre details are coming to light surrounding the shooting death of a man who tried to steal a Sheriff’s deputy’s pistol during an arrest.
It turns out the man isn’t from Texas – he’s not even from the U.S. Pecos County deputies first met Canadian citizen Thomas Andrew Reid after a big rig accident that took place outside of Fort Stockton on Thursday.
And as we’ve learned, Friday night wasn’t the first time he tried to harm an official.
A wreck between two trucks tied up traffic outside of Fort Stockton on Thursday, and Thomas Andrew Reid grew impatient and increasingly belligerent while waiting to get around the accident. After he got through, he took out his frustrations on officials working the scene.
“He almost ran over, or he tried to run the fire chief off the road after he got through the wreck area,” Pecos County Sheriff Cliff Harris said.
Reid then continued to speed off down the highway. Deputies followed close behind with their lights and sirens blaring.
“He wouldn’t pull over. They chased him and we ended up having to spike his tires on his vehicle to get him shut down,” Sheriff Harris said.
He was arrested and taken to jail, following a visit to the hospital and an evaluation by Mental Health and Mental Retardation officials.
“According to reports from the hospital, there was some narcotics in his system,” Sheriff Harris said.
After he was released from jail on Friday, they put Reid up in the Deluxe Inn for a night while his family was on their way to pick him up. That’s where he once again became belligerent, and got into a scuffle with a male deputy and a female deputy in the parking lot. During the fight, he took a gun from the male deputy’s holster firing a round into a nearby wall.
“Had it pointed in his direction, stuck up against his stomach when he was still wrestling with him, and she fired and killed him,” Sheriff Harris said.
Hotel manager Dipak Patel was working in his office when he heard the struggle.
“I just stepped outside and saw that they were fighting real bad. So I think these officers maybe need help,” Patel said.
He ran inside to call for help when he heard a sound even more terrifying.
“I was here, right here in my office to call 911, and I hear the first gunshot, and I was scared. And then I hear two more,” Patel said.
Those last two shots were fired by the female deputy, which killed Reid in the parking lot.
As is the standard with any officer-involved shooting, this case is currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers.
SOURCE OF STORY: http://www.cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=16327
This is such a sad thing. I pray that the family can get through this terrible tragedy. Thank you for letting me know about this.
The first video has poor sound quality in places but I posted it anyway as it tells part of the story. And yes Shelia let us not forget that a family has been devastated with this news.
The mainstream media has painted him as a crazy man, but when you view his web site at http://www.reiderrecords.com you are left with the impression of a highly intelligent, gifted man.
Andrew had a passion for folk music and had released several songs. He had a unique and haunting sound that captivated the listener.
Here is one of Andrew’s tunes: Beautiful by Andrew Reid
God’ speed Andrew
UPDATE:
CBS 7 Finds Web Site of Man Killed by Pecos County Deputy 11/23/09
Jordan Reagan
CBS 7 News
November 23, 2009
New details emerge about the man who was shot and killed by Pecos County Sheriff’s deputies.
According to investigators, on Friday, a deputy was forced to shoot and kill Canadian citizen Thomas Andrew Reid, after he allegedly fought with another deputy and stole a gun from his holster.
Today, the case is under investigation by the Texas Rangers.
Today, we’ve learned more about who Thomas Andrew Reid was, and why he may have been passing through Fort Stockton on the day he had his first run-in with Pecos County deputies.
CBS 7 has come across Reid’s Web site, where he called himself a recording artist, an addiction specialist and a drifter.
The Pecos County Sheriff’s Department tells us Reid likely never intended to stop in Fort Stockton, and was just passing through before being arrested on Thursday.
On his Web site, Reid calls himself a “drifter with a passion for writing.”
He has dozens of journal entries dating back to 2006, and has published several books, including a personal account of a past drug addiction titled “Keel Over and Die.”
Reid was also an athlete, boasting several accomplishments, including a Canadian national handcycling championship in 2001.
Earlier this year, Reid formed a folk rock band in California called Rehab Mama, and several songs are available for download on the music page.
On the guest book page, several fans from both the United States and Canada have left their condolences in light of his death.
Right now, Reid’s body is with the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office undergoing an autopsy.
We’ll continue to follow this and bring you the latest as it develops.
To view the Web site for yourself, click on the following link.
http://www.reiderrecords.com
SOURCE OF STORY: http://www.cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=16363
A quick follow-up: Visitation for Andrew is this Friday at York Funeral Home, 302 Brookside Drive on Friday, November 27, 2009 from 2 to 6 pm. The funeral will be held at Greenwood Drive United Baptist Church in Barkers Point on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 2 pm.
RIP Dude!
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Reid family. I met Andrew when he was first injured & I introduced him to wheelchair sports. He was an amazing athlete who trained hard and became a champion in a very short time. Everyone who met Andrew immediately liked him because of his fun-loving attitude. I lost track of him over the last few years after he moved from Austin and I am deeply saddened to hear of this tragedy.
Andrew was not a crazy lunatic like the stories are leading you to believe. He was a very intelligent, gifted man that loved to train hard and compete. I didn’t personally care for his style of music, but respected his talents regardless of my taste.
I’m not sure why or what happened, but I do know that Andrew Reid was a great athlete and a superb human being. I have worked with people with spinal cord injuries for over 20 years and have personally been in a chair for 27 years so I understand the pain that he endured. Nerve pain is something that people cannot truly understand unless they get to experience it themselves. People look at a wheelchair user and think “what a shame that he can’t walk”, but they don’t understand that there are many other issues involved in a spinal cord injury. Walking is the least of our worries!
I’m happy to see that he turned his life around and became an addiction specialist to help others in the same situation. Andrew was a guy who never met a stranger because you were instantly friends with him. I wish I could have spent more time with you while you were here on earth.
If any of Andrew’s family members read this please send your contact info to mike@lonestarparalysis.org. I wish I could have made the funeral, but I was out of town and just found out about his passing today.
Rest in peace Dude!
Mike,
I attended the funeral and I do not think that there was a dry eye in the house. We celebrated this gifted young man’s life and all of us felt the agony and anguish of this traumatizing event. Unless one is in the situation Andrew was, we can not begin to comprehend the pain he must have suffered due to his injury.
The Reid Family holds strong to their Christian values and know that they will meet Andrew again one day in Heaven.
He is resting in peace and I am sure he is playing his guitar and singing a song.
RIP Andrew. You will be missed.
PS Thank you to ‘Ed’ for this venue for us to share.
Nice boy, was Thomas Andrew Reid!