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   TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach

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Topic: TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach (Read 141 times)

luci
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TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach
« on: Apr 8^th, 2005, 3:13pm »

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Canton HS official in critical condition; some saw suspect as 'time bomb!

CANTON, Texas Jeffrey Doyle Robertson has long been known by some in this East Texas town as a hothead, bullying his way through life with an ill temper and a violent manner.

When Mr. Robertson was in high school, he and his friends were such scrappers that police issued a town curfew. More recently, the self-employed air-conditioning repairman was known as a man who went around looking for fights and often meddling in the affairs of his son's high school football team.

So some in the town of 3,200 were not surprised Thursday when, according to authorities, Mr. Robertson took a gun to Canton High School and shot head football coach Gary Joe Kinne in the chest.

Jeffrey Doyle Robertson (left) was charged with aggravated assault in the shooting of Gary Joe Kinne. Robertson was charged Friday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Canton Municipal Judge Lilia Durham set bond at $1 million.

Robertson, who appeared haggard yet calm during his arraignment, occasionally looked down to adjust the bandages on his wrists. He was not required to enter a plea. His attorney, William Reece, declined to comment.

Mr. Kinne, 37, also Canton's athletic director, underwent surgery at Trinity Mother Frances Health System in Tyler and remained in critical but stable condition Friday, Canton schools Superintendent Larry Davis said in a statement.

"The family, they're in each other's arms," said Truman Oakley, Canton High's assistant principal. "Canton is a small town, a close-knit town. ... That support is really holding them up right now."

Mr. Oakley said pastors, friends, colleagues and others had rushed to the Tyler hospital to be with the coach's family.

Several hours after the shooting, Mr. Robertson's abandoned, black extended-cab pickup was found near a golf course east of Canton. Numerous guns and knives were scattered beside his vehicle and the nearby woods, including two .45-caliber handguns.

A worker at the golf course saw Mr. Robertson hiding in the woods and alerted searchers who were combing the area.

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Mr. Robertson was soon captured. He appeared to have wounded his forearms with a knife, police said. Mr. Robertson was treated at a Tyler hospital and then jailed in Van Zandt County.

Police said several people in town told them that Mr. Robertson was celebrating his birthday party Wednesday night and named five people he wanted to kill.

"He was at a party last night, drinking heavy," Police Chief Michael Echols said. "We do know that he had certain people that he was very upset with."

Long-held grudge

The dispute between Mr. Robertson and the school had apparently boiled since August, getting so bad that he was banned from football games and practice, officials said.

Police and others in Canton, about 60 miles east of Dallas, said Mr. Robertson got into a shoving match with Mr. Kinne and an assistant coach after a football practice in August.

"It all started with his son," said parent Catherine Whitlock. She said Mr. Robertson intervened in an argument between his son, Baron, and hers, Byron.

Baron Robertson "called his father, and his father came up to my son, and the coaches intervened. The parent was going to jump my son, and the coaches jumped in," Ms. Whitlock said.

Another player, Steve Smith Jr., said he once argued with Baron Robertson. Mr. Robertson later grabbed him by the shirt, pushed him against a fence and threatened to kill him and his family if he ever messed with his son again, the student said.

His father, Steve Smith Sr., said he told his son to avoid Mr. Robertson.

"I said, 'He's a walking time bomb,' " the father said.

Mr. Smith said he complained to the school and to police, but Mr. Robertson was never charged with a crime.

Mr. Smith said that when he arrived at the school Thursday, he told the superintendent: "Stevie was threatened by this guy and y'all chose to do nothing about it."

Canton school district Superintendent Larry Davis declined to comment on Mr. Smith's statements or complaints from other parents. "I have no personal knowledge of that," Mr. Davis said.

Four years ago, Mr. Robertson was tossed out of at least two baseball games for yelling at umpires and players, Canton resident Bobby Williamson said.

"He was a real hothead," Mr. Williamson said. "He's the type that went looking for trouble."

Different opinions

But some who know Mr. Robertson disagree, calling him kind and compassionate, despite his temper.

"He does anything for me," said Rhonda Miller, a cousin of Mr. Robertson's wife. "I suspect he was pushed to the edge in some way."

Karen Johnson, whose husband worked with Mr. Robertson at the Dallas Plumbing Co., also praised him.

"About a year ago, my best friend died of cancer," she said. "All the time he was going there to the church and the hospital, Jeff would come and visit and look after the family."

Ms. Miller said Mr. Robertson had reason to be angry.

"I don't want him portrayed as a lunatic," she said. "A lot of parents want to take action and get things done, and it's very frustrating when you don't get a response from the administration."

Cathy Scallions, who works at Peace Pharmacy, said that after a recent fatal accident, Mr. Robertson tried to console the victim's son, even following the ambulance to Dallas to be at his side.

Another time, he bought an air conditioner for a friend who had no cooling system in her home during the summer. And when a friend was incarcerated in a West Texas prison, Mr. Robertson would take the man's children there to visit him, said Ms. Scallions, who used to work with his wife.

"He's always been there to help people. He's really a good person. I don't know what happened," she said. "You'll find out he's helped so many people. But, you just, you don't mess with his kids."

Reliable worker

Mr. Robertson commuted daily from his home in Canton to far northeast Dallas, where he co-owned Priority Heating & Air on Switzer Avenue.

He helped start the business in 2002 after leaving the nearby Dallas Plumbing Co, where he worked for six years installing air-conditioning systems. Before that, he worked in the oil field business, friends said.

His family had a long history working in Dallas; his father worked at Dallas Plumbing about four decades before moving to West Texas. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Business associates described Mr. Robertson as high-strung and a good worker. But his affinity for alcohol, fisticuffs and guns often got him into trouble on the weekends, they said.

"He didn't show up that way to work," said John Downs, who co-owns Dallas Plumbing. "He was a good employee for us. It surprises me that he went to this extreme."

He said Mr. Robertson seemed to be a good father to his two children.

"He took his son hunting and fishing," Mr. Downs said.

He said the police contacted him Thursday morning, advising him to lock his business's doors and stay away from the office while Mr. Robertson remained at large. A Dallas police patrol car was parked nearby most of the day.

Mr. Downs said the police didn't mention a hit list but added, "I guess they were calling everyone who Jeff knew."

He said one of the last times he saw Mr. Robertson, he had a cast on his leg. Mr. Robertson told him and others that he had gotten into a road-rage incident with a trucker on a local freeway and that it had ended in a brawl.

"He had bad bruises all over," Mr. Downs said. "He said the guy ran over him. I told him that if he didn't get in control of his temper, he'd be in trouble."

Rickey Morgan, who manages the office warehouse complex on Switzer Avenue and leases space to Mr. Robertson and his business partner, called the shooting suspect "pretty high-strung."

"He had a thing for guns," Mr. Morgan said. "He would say he always carried a couple of guns with him for personal protection. That kind of concerned me. He always seemed to have a lot of enemies."

'Shelter in place!'

Jenie Addison, a 10th-grader at Canton High, said she was in speech class when a secretary yelled over the intercom: "Shelter in place! Shelter in place!" a warning given when someone is on school grounds who should not be.

The teacher locked the door, closed the blinds, turned off the lights and told the 20 students to sit and be quiet in the corner, the 17-year-old said. Then the teacher led them in prayer.

They sat that way about 90 minutes.

Students reached for their cell phones, calling their parents and trading text messages with friends elsewhere in the building to find out what had happened.

Canton City Manager Charles Fenner said police got a call about 9:15 a.m. from someone in the school who had taken a call from the field house. Mr. Kinne, though wounded, was able to call for help.

Chief Echols said Mr. Kinne was shot with a high-caliber handgun at close range.

The chief said Mr. Robertson had run-ins with the law in the past. After the shoving match last year with Mr. Kinne, Mr. Robertson was charged with disorderly conduct. However, the charges were dropped, the chief said.

"We haven't had any problems from him in quite a while," Chief Echols said. "It seems like he's been upset with the coaching system at the school for quite a while."

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Rhune
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Re: TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach
« Reply #1 on: Apr 8^th, 2005, 4:35pm »

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While the majority of the blame certainly lies on this man, it bothers me that reports were made to the police and the school board about threats this guy made that were not followed up on. It reminds me a bit of Columbine where parents had complained about these boys to the police but were ultimately dismissed as being not a big deal. I suspect it has more to do with it being a small town, where not a lot of horrible things happen and people just not really understanding it could escallate this far.

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luci
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Re: TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach
« Reply #2 on: Apr 8^th, 2005, 5:43pm »

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In small towns no one wants to be singled out as a trouble maker. The Dad of the boy he pushed against the fence told his son to stay far away from this man.
He did tell, they paid no heed!
This can happen anywhere, we've known parents like this man! Their kid has to be the number #1 everything and they will cause havoc with coaches until they get it.

I know there is a lot of pressure on the kids to win by the Coaches, however there is also too much pressure is on Coaches to win or else.
Or Coaches hear play my child or else!
Guess this Coach didn't scare too easy!

Thankfully he is one big guy, he will recover in time.

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luci
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Re: TEXAS Dad Shoots Son's Coach
« Reply #3 on: Apr 9^th, 2005, 9:53am »

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Today Coach Kinne is having surgery to repair his liver.
The bullet is still somewhere in his back.

Canton, a small East Texas Town is well known across the country for having the largest flea market in the USA.

Each month people come from all over to attend this market for old, new and different items.

http://www.cantontradedays.com/

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