Sadly, the shooting and stunning arrest of two minors has gotten worse.
 

Garland Police News Release:

12- and 13-year-old Face Capital Murder

On August 17 Garland Police responded to the report of a man being shot in the 600 block of Rilla Drive around 2:30 pm. When officers arrived they found 48-year-old Alan Nevil in his next door neighbor’s front yard suffering from a gun shot wound. He was able to tell officers who had shot him before being transported to Baylor Hospital of Dallas where he underwent surgery.
 
Alan Nevil died last night from complications resulting from that shooting on August 17.
 
On that same day officers also found Mr. Nevil’s wife, 46-year-old Darlene Nevil, shot to death inside their home.
 
Shortly after the shooting a 12-year-old female and 13-year-old male were taken into custody based on the information provided by Alan Nevil at the scene. The two were later charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Garland investigators have been in touch with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office and now with the death of a second victim, Alan Nevil, Capital Murder Charges will be sought against the 12- and 13-year-old. The two remain in custody in the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center.
 

 

Coming quickly on the heels of the story aired on WFAA-TV of a demand to improve safety at the Garland Public Shooting Range located on Pleasant Valley Rd, the Dallas Morning News reveals that a law suit was filed against the range today.
 

From the Dallas Morning News:

Wounded Rowlett man alleges Garland gun range responsible

11:02 PM CDT on Thursday, September 2, 2010
By RAY LESZCYNSKI / The Dallas Morning News
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
 
Rowlett police called it a "mysterious shooting."
 
Victim Michael Domin believes he knows the source. Not the shooter, but the source.
 

Domin lives 1.2 miles from the Garland Public Shooting Range. On Thursday, an attorney acting on Domin's behalf filed a lawsuit against the range.
 
The filing pits a new neighborhood against a business that existed long before urban build-out became an issue in northeast Dallas County.
 
In Domin's case, gun experts confirm that a rifle misfire from the range could indeed have sailed over the range's protective berms and the Castle Drive Landfill and down into his neighborhood. In addition to the landfill, there's a creek bed, a field and an undeveloped wooded area between the victim's home and the range.
 
And while the police investigation concluded that the bullet was on a downward trajectory when it struck, "there is no actual evidence that would support the fact that the bullet was fired from the range," Rowlett police spokesman John Ellison said Thursday.
 
Domin spent 10 days in a hospital and racked up nearly $200,000 in medical bills after the midday June 12 incident – and still has the bullet in his back.
 
"I'm not the same as I used to be," he said. "I get tired fast and can't work as hard as I used to. I still have pain in stomach and in my back and still trying to catch up financially."
 
He is requesting that the range prohibit longer-distance ammunition and that it install side berms, overhead baffles and specialized safety walls. It is estimated the safety features could cost $500,000.
 
Neighbors who may not have realized it when their homes were built in 2007 have become conscious of the fact that they're potentially in the line of fire. Thien Phuoc Phan answered a query from Aaron Herbert, Domin's attorney, to say he was scraped by a stray bullet while riding a bicycle in the area in March.
 
"If the range is surrounded by residential homes, it should now be discontinued because of hazards associated with it," Phan said.
 
But the Garland Public Shooting Range predates its neighbors. It opened in 1969, and when it was annexed into the city in 1971, the use of the property was grandfathered.
 
Domin said he did not know about the gun range when he moved into the house with his wife and five children in July 2009. He said that so long as the bullets remain on the range, it is not a problem.
 
"As far as bullets leaving the range, it's not acceptable," he said. "It could have been one of my kids. Basically our kids haven't used our backyard since this has happened. We haven't let them go back there."
 
Garland's Public Safety Committee brought up the range as an item of discussion in late 2007 and found there were no violations of the city's noise ordinance and no contamination of nearby Rowlett Creek. No action was taken.
 
Garland Council Member Doug Athas said while he hears noise complaints, the range also has a solid support base among its clientele.
 
Any changes at the range may, in fact, be instigated by the county. It plans to widen Pleasant Valley Road next year, and the widening will take the road about 12 to 20 feet above the range's existing gate and parking lot. A new exit and changes to the parking area and location of shooting stands might follow, but preliminary thought is that the range will remain open.
 
In asking Wednesday for a voluntary cease-and-desist on long-distance shooting operations, Herbert said that "bullets originating from GPSR have clearly struck and damaged Garland Power & Light controlled power lines." Domin's legal team says that proves bullets are flying off the range. But GP&L said Thursday that it had performed nothing other than routine maintenance in the area.
 
"Currently, we don't have an issue with the gun range," utility spokeswoman Elizabeth Kimbrough said. "We've never had an outage from it, and it's not impacting service."
 
Attempts to contact the gun range's owner Wednesday were unsuccessful.
 
Alan Lyberger, a licensed gunsmith for more than a decade, was a frequent customer when he lived a half-mile away off Pleasant Valley Road.
 
"Is it world-class? No. But it is typical for Texas," Lyberger said. "As far as safety goes, the berms are just about like I've seen anywhere else. They're not less safe than any other gun range. The people I dealt with when I was there were very nice, knowledgeable and helpful."
 

Located in District 1 very near the northern city limits, the privately-owned Garland Public Gun Range on Pleasant Valley Rd has been there since before being annexed into the city many years ago. All the development in the area came afterwards.
 
In June a Rowlett man was mysteriously shot in his yard. Some suspect the bullet may have come from the gun range.
 
Last night, WFAA-TV ran a story on the possible connection:

From WFAA-TV online:

Shooting victim seeks safety upgrade at Garland gun range

by MONIKA DIAZ WFAA Posted on September 2, 2010 at 12:17 AM   ROWLETT — The Garland Public Shooting Range on Pleasant Valley Road opened its doors 41 years ago.   It is now Michael Domin's target.   "Make this range safe so it doesn't hurt anybody else," said Domin, who lives a mile away from the range in neighboring Rowlett.   In June, he was the one who got hurt in his backyard. He was sitting on a tractor when a stray bullet hit him. Domin spent ten days in the hospital, and has a scar running down his stomach. The bullet is still lodged in his chest.   "We are afraid to go into the backyard, cut the grass, basically do anything," Domin said. "Our kids haven't been out there since it happened."   Domin and his attorney, Aaron Herbert, say the gun range is putting lives in danger. "This is a safety issue, and I don't know what it's going to take," Herbert said. "We don't want to see someone actually killed by one of these rounds."   Herbert told News 8 he has evidence that bullets are going off the range — from damaged power lines to a man who was nicked by a bullet while riding his bike. Domin's lawyer sent a letter to the owner of the gun range, James Day, asking him to cease operations and to step up supervision and security.   "Put in overhead baffling and raise the birm; make the range safe," Herbert said.   The Rowlett Police department told News 8 Wednesday that investigators couldn't determine where the bullet that struck Domin came from. But Domin and his attorney believe there is no other source but the range. "I think it's their responsibility," Herbert said.   News 8 attempted to contact the owner of the gun range, but there was no response as of late Wednesday. Domin and his attorney said if James Day does not immediately close the range on Thursday and start making changes, they will go to court to ask for an injunction.   E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com

Photo source: WFAA-TX online Range is the northern pin and the victim's house the other pin. View larger map WFAA Stories Related to the Shooting: Mystery bullet injures man in Rowlett yard Rowlett man can no longer make ends meet

 
A couple years ago, the Council's Public Safety Committee reviewed several complaints against the range. From the city's perspective, no safety issues were identified.

 
Ray Leszcynski, Dallas Morning News Reporter, posted information on the DMN Garland Blog that the widening of Pleasant Valley Rd could also impact the range. Ray is looking for public input.
 

I know quite a few Garland citizens that have been through the Garland Citizen Police Academy. I don't know if the attraction is the time on the department's state-of-the-art gun range, driving a police car through an obstacle course with the gas pedal mashed to the floor, or riding late through the night with officers on duty. I do know that the alums tell me how much they enjoyed the experience. Perhaps that is why so many join the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, which is one busy and successful organization.
 

Members of the Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association captured all of the major awards at the recent state conference of citizen police academies.

 
To illustrate how busy, association president Marilyn Parker recently shared with members the association's mid-August success at the Texas Citizen Police Academy Alumni Convention:

 
I am proud to announce that the GCPAAA is recognized as the 2010 winners of the following awards presented at the Texas Citizen Police Academy Alumni Convention. It is an honor to be recognized statewide by our peers.
 
2010 Alumni Membership of the Year
For the alumni year 2009-2010 we had 214 members in our alumni. What is even greater is that we have 64.48% participation from our membership. This is based on members attending at least 50% of all meetings and events. We are blessed to have so many members who support this alumni and our police department. Thank you!
 
2010 Alumni Association of the Year
What is there to say here... We are simply the best. Read through the attached alumni resume and you’ll see for yourself.
 
2010 Ray Ramon – Peace Officer of the Year – Robo [Officer Mike Roberds]
Robo stepped into our alumni with great energy and enthusiasm to get to know the members of our alumni, provide us with great information and help wherever/whenever he could. If there is anyone we want to have our back, it’s Robo...and he’s there. His passion to be involved and his willingness to dedicate his time selflessly to assist and advise our alumni has provided immeasurable gratitude amongst our group. Robo, we love you.
 
Bill Ennis Award – Alumni Member of the Year – Cheryl Bray
Last, but not least, Cheryl has been in our alumni for 10 years and has held all positions on our board of directors, including President from 2008-2010. Through all these years, Cheryl never slowed down. In addition to her alumni duties, she and her husband Joe, own their own business (big responsibility there). She now has 5 grandchildren (she is truly a “full-time” grandmother) and yet still makes time to take on the many tasks it takes to keep the alumni going with all the programs we are involved with. There is a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to making our alumni successful and Cheryl has been there through it all, many times with her grandchildren in tow. (Can you say “stress”?) Cheryl, your hard work does not go unnoticed and we thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. We love you, too.
 
We are the first Alumni to win all 4 awards at the state convention in one year. That’s an amazing feat! And, Garland was represented by 19 members at the convention this year, including Captain [Patrick] McCully and Robo.
 
For a little added history, the Alumni has won the Association of the Year award two other times ... At the 2003 Fort Worth Convention and the 2005 Waco Convention. We’ve also had two other members receive the Member of the Year ... Dorris Murdock in 2003 (Fort Worth) and Vickie Thompson in 2006 (Austin).
 

 
I want to join Police Chief Mitch Bates in his congratulations to the Alumni Association and echo his sentiments: "We are all very proud of you! We’ve always known you’re the BEST in the STATE COUNTRY!"
 
If you have thought about attending the Citizens Police Academy or would like to learn more, please visit the Citizen Police Academy website.
 

City of Garland News Release:

Mayor's Office Accepting "Good Neighbor" Nominations

Mayor Ronald Jones’ office is accepting nominations for the next Mayor’s Good Neighbor Award.
 
The award is given quarterly to residents or property owners in Garland that have demonstrated significant improvements or upgrades to their property that will provide a positive physical impact to their neighborhood. The award will be granted based on project innovation, potential for replication, mitigation of unsightly conditions, collaboration or partnership, volunteer contributions, and increased property value.
 
Residents and property owners are encouraged to nominate their neighbors for this award. Nomination packets are available at www.garlandtx.gov or at the Mayor’s Office, City Hall, 200 N. Fifth Street in Downtown Garland. Call 972-205-2400 for more information. The deadline for 3rd Quarter 2010 nominations is September 30, 2010.
 

 
Mayor Ron Jones, a District 1 resident, started the Good Neighbor Award and has presented it about three times. The second winner was another District 1 resident, Robert Smith. Of course, Robert was being recognized for his historic reconstruction of a building downtown, which is not in District 1. Now the building is home to The Generator coffee shop.
 

On Friday, the Dallas Morning News ran a story of a chihuahua that was euthanized at the Garland animal shelter. According to the report, Jason Chessher, Garland's deputy health director, said the dog was killed because "she was considered aggressive and vicious."
 
When thousands of animals have to be euthanized daily across the country, why did this incident make the news? Supposedly because a woman learned the dog was at the shelter and wanted to rescue it. However, shelter policy, understandably, prohibits placing aggressive dogs.
 
That should have been the end of the story and wouldn't have made the news even in a small town paper.
 
Indeed, why did the DMN even waste the space and ink? The answer seems to be what else the reporter was able to stuff in as filler:

From the Dallas Morning News, August 27, Metro Section:
 
The Garland shelter came under criticism last year after a Dallas Morning News investigation revealed that the shelter was gassing animals in violation of state law and city rules, sometimes putting dogs and cats down within minutes of their arrival.
 

 
The statement is totally false; management and editorial staff at the paper know it to be false yet the falsehood is repeated Goebbels-style again. The "came under criticism" mentioned in the story was by Katie Fairbank, a reporter for the Dallas Morning News and financial contributor to animal rescue groups, who made those harsh claims in a series of articles and blog posts that accused the city of illegally killing animals and of "gassing young, sick or elderly cats and dogs."
 
In a post on Oct 18, 2009, How Unfair Is Katie Fairbank?, I revealed the falsehood:

 
In a Sept 19 article, Ms Fairbank refers to a sampling of records from 2007 that were provided to the newspaper by anonymous sources. She says these were "shelter records" and she refers to photographs taken of "illegally killed" kittens. (Why would the shelter take photographs of illegally-killed kittens?) She refers to a young dog as another example.
 
According to city personnel, she did ask staff on the afternoon of Sept 17 to investigate a number of incidents. She was told that records were not immediately available — that they were archived — but that her questions could be addressed within a few days. She agreed, telling staff members that she expected the story to run "in a few weeks" and to contact her with the findings. She called the next morning for the results, waiting little more than overnight. Her story was in the paper the following day. There were no other efforts to get the rest of the story even though there were successive articles and blog posts.
 
When those "records" were reviewed, staff was only able to find one instance of improper euthanasia, which was documented in a memo PDF to Council and the city manager: "After reviewing the records from 2007 provided by the media, there does appear to be one instance of an animal younger than four months of age that was euthanized by respiration of carbon monoxide. It was euthanized by a Shelter Attendant who is no longer employed by the City of Garland." Ms Fairbank later acknowledges that single incident but does nothing to correct her prior claims.
 

 
End of story. Last year.
 
Or so you might think. Yet another DMN personality, James Ragland, decided he has to "smirk" his wisdom about aggressive chihuahuas:

 
Guess we'll have to take the Garland animal shelter's word on this. And let me say right up front that I've never owned a Chihuahua or bee[n] threatened by one. So maybe the little pooches with big eyes can, indeed, be downright mean.
 
Still, it's hard for me to juxtapose that adjective—"vicious"—with that noun—"Chihuahua"[—]without smirking.
 
***
 
Must've been one mean dog.
 

 
Mr Ragland's readers seem to know more about the breed than he just "juxtaposes."
 
Gary H: "I seem to remember an article from a few years ago where a policeman somewhere was at a woman's door wanting to talk to her. She was non compliant and opened her door to sic her Chihuahuas on him. I think she was eventually arrested but the officer actually had to seek medical treatment at the hospital. I can only imagine the fun his coworkers had with that one when he returned."
 
Bill M: "I used to carry the U.S. mail. Chihuahuas were the worst. They were small; you couldn't see them. Meanwhile they were dashing around your feet nipping at your ankles. I used to speculate how far i could drop kick one."
 
Finally, my grandmother had a chihuahua that she loved and that loved her. He would do anything to protect her. I had the bites to prove it. Around small children, I'd juxtapose a German Shepherd or Lab any day.
 
UPDATE: There are numerous reporters at the DMN that I trust without reservation and they do a fine job of accurately reporting the news. Those that write about our city in "downtown Garland" seem to do such a better job than those that write in "downtown Dallas." Case in point, local reporter Ray Leszcynski gives additional information on the controversy between rescue groups and the shelter at the DMN Garland Blog.
 

City of Garland News Release

New City Facility Bears a Special Name

Goldie Locke's nephew and niece, Robert Locke, Jr. and Denise Richards, admire the photograph and plaque honoring Ms. Locke's service to the Garland community.

On August 26, 2010, the City of Garland officially dedicated the Goldie Locke Community Meeting Room inside the Duckworth Utility Services Building in Downtown Garland.
 
The new meeting space is named in honor of a long-time community leader. Goldie Irene Locke (1937-2008) devoted almost three decades to building community in Garland with her contribution of wisdom, knowledge and countless volunteer hours. She served the City of Garland, the Garland Independent School District, Parkland Hospital and numerous community and civic organizations. In 1984, she organized and became the founding president of the Garland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Because Ms. Locke's tremendous sense of community fostered opportunity and justice for all citizens, the Garland City Council in partnership with the Executive Members of the Garland NAACP named the room in her honor.
 
During the dedication ceremony, Garland Mayor Ronald E. Jones referred to Ms. Locke as a courageous community activist. “Scripture says that some men’s works go before them and some men’s works come after them. Goldie’s good works and reputation went before and will linger on well into the future,” said Mayor Jones.
 
Garland NAACP President B.J. Williams turned to the lyrics of the song “The Impossible Dream” to describe Ms. Locke and her impact to the community she served. “This was her quest,” said Mr. Williams, “to fight for the right without question or pause. … And the world and the City of Garland will be better for this.”
 
Ms. Locke’s niece, Denise Richards, spoke of how her aunt loved her family, friends, community and church. Ms. Richards said of Ms Locke, “she didn’t take on any task in a small way. Her commitment was strong and she instilled that in her family as well.”
 
The Goldie Locke Community Meeting Room is located on the lower level of the Duckworth Building at 217 N. Fifth Street. The room has a capacity of up to 100 people and includes kitchen facilities, tables, chairs and audio/video capabilities. To find out more about reservations and room usage rules, contact Rene Dowl at 972-205-2670 or Carol Bentzlin 972-205-2653.
 

 
More on Goldie from previous posts: here and here. Ray Leszcynski with the Dallas Morning News was at the dedication and has posted his observations at the DMN Garland Blog.
 

City of Garland News Release

Volunteers Needed for Healthy Living Expo

Volunteers are the backbone of any important undertaking. The same is true for the Healthy Living Expo on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at the Garland ISD Special Events Center.
 
The event theme is “Healthy You, Healthy Earth.” The City of Garland, Garland ISD, Baylor Medical Center at Garland and the Garland Chamber of Commerce will join forces to demonstrate how caring for both ourselves and the earth creates a healthy lifestyle, and has a positive impact on the world around us. The Expo will offer exhibitor booths, free services, demonstrations and entertainment, all focused on helping citizens make positive changes to their daily lives.
 
Volunteer opportunities are available for adults and older teens. Duties will include exhibitor check in, guest and exhibitor relations, kids’ activities, and other interactive features. Some exhibitors will need volunteer manpower to help accept donations and recycling drop-offs.
 
Anyone interested in volunteering can download a volunteer application at www.GarlandGoesGreen.org or contact Shelley Franklin at 972-205-3285 or sfrankli@garlandtx.gov.