He died in what some might call suicide by police.
Gastonia police met the serial killer, Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, after answering a call to investigate suspicious activity. Burris and two others arrived at an abandoned house for an unknown reason. First, he lied to the police about his name. Then, after the police realized he was wanted in Lincoln County, he shot a policeman in the leg. Not surprisingly, the police responded by shooting him to death.
How do the police know — for sure — that they got their man? They say the bullets from Burris’ gun matched those used in the murders in Gaffney. They also say he was in possession of items belonging to his victims.
Who’s to thank? Watchful neighbors, Terry and Mike Valentine, who called the police when they saw something suspicious going on at their across-the-street neighbor’s house, which is abandoned.
Who’s to blame? Well. It is a bit disturbing that someone with a 25-page rap sheet was in possession of a gun. Burris was released from prison in April. But, ultimately, Burris is to blame, not the system.
Why did he kill five people in Gaffney? We’ll probably never know. At this time, it appears that his victims were chosen at random.
A career criminal paroled just two months ago, Burris lived on Chambers Lane in Vale, in western Lincoln County, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office.
Burris had a long rap sheet filled with charges such as armed robbery, larceny, forgery and breaking and entering from numerous states, including Florida, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. He had been paroled from a North Carolina prison in April after serving nearly eight years.
“Look at this,” Lloyd said, waiving a stapled copy of Burris’ criminal record during a press conference in Gaffney Monday night. “This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street.”
Read more from The Gaston Gazette.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2009.
It’s good that the victims of this killer may be in peace right now. They have gotten the justice that they deserve. It’s good that the police is doing all they can to accomplish this mission.
When a thug here killed a policeman by shooting him 5 times, the police responded by arguing with him for over an hour in his house before wrestling him into submission.
Why didn’t they kill him? The court is determining the sentence now. What will the creep do when he gets out.
Chief Noga and Twinsburg officers and citizens, there is a lesson there in Gastonia, NC.
The creep in Twinsburg should have been killed on the spot by police.