Officer Who Shot 41 Times at Chase Suspect Fired

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A Garland police officer who fired 41 shots at a chase suspect in August has been fired.

The Garland Police Department confirmed that it fired Officer Patrick Tuter after an internal investigation into the Aug. 12, 2012, shooting.

Michael Allen, 25, was shot and killed after a high-speed chase that began in Garland and ended in Mesquite. Allen was wanted on suspicion of eluding police in Sasche a few days earlier.

Garland police spokesman Officer Joe Harn said Tuter violated the department's general order of use of force and pursuit protocol.

The department at first said that Tuter opened fire in fear of his life, but dashboard camera video raised concerns after it showed that Tuter had rammed Allen's truck and fired 41 shots after he cornered Allen. Tuter reloaded twice, police said.

"He did not deserve the death sentence," said Allen's mother, Stephanie Allen. "Patrick Tuter was not judge and jury, and that's what he made himself out to be."

Allen's father, Randy Allen, said he is glad the department finally acted on the matter because he doesn't want any other families to feel what he, his wife and his son's 4-year-old daughter feel every day.

"Maybe the streets are safer now," he said.

The Allens have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tuter, seeking damages in their son's death.

The lawsuit says that Michael Allen did not have a weapon and did not pose a threat to officers. The lawsuit also says that Tuter's use of force was excessive.

"That's what tears me up -- that they weren't only just excessive, it was excessive on top of excessive," Randy Allen said.

The Allens said their son should not have run from police but also know that nothing can bring him back.

Tuter's attorney said his client does not agree with the department's decision to fire him and will appeal.

"The indefinite suspension was based upon alleged violations of the Garland Police Department's internal, administrative policies," the attorney said in a statement. "However, Officer Tuter's actions were justified under this state's penal code, and the indefinite suspension will be appealed under state civil service law."

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DISD Approves $4.5 Million in Security Upgrades

Amanda Guerra, NBC 5 News

The district will add additional security cameras at secondary campuses; electronic door-strike buzzers, eight-camera digital recorder systems and card-reader systems at all elementary campuses; and one-way observation portals in every portable in the school district.

DISD Approves $4.5 Million in...

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The Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to use $4.5 million to upgrade security across the district.

DISD Police Chief Craig Miller said the shootings in Newtown, Conn., triggered the district to take a closer look at campus security.

Since then, a task force has been looking for better ways to keep students safe.

"Our kids are safe," Miller said. "That's what this is all about. We want people to think we recognize there's problems, we realize those problems and we're going to make improvements on those problems."

The board unanimously voted to use $4.5 million from a 2008 bond to make the changes.

Security upgrades will include:

• Additional security cameras at secondary campuses
• Electronic door-strike buzzers, eight-camera digital recorder systems, card-reader systems at all elementary campuses
• One-way observation portals in every portable in the school district

"The additional security measures will be a great benefit to every student and every employee working at our schools," said Lew Blackburn, board president. "When students walk into our schools, we want them to feel safe, and we want parents and community members to know that we are doing everything possible to make our campuses secure. This is the right thing to do."

"The board should be commended for their actions tonight," Superintendent Mike Miles said. "Student and staff safety is always our top priority, and this decision supports our efforts to establish and maintain a positive learning environment."

Some of the improvements will be implemented immediately, and all will be in place by the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

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DPS Signs Up Record Number of Organ Donors

Kristi Nelson, NBC 5 News

A state lawmaker is proposing a bill to allow people to get appointments for renewing their license if they plan to register to be organ donors.

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The Texas Department of Public Safety is signing up Texans in record numbers to be organ and tissue donors.

A heart-shaped donor log is embedded on the donor's license or ID card -- legal proof of the person's consent to donate his or her organs. The person's family cannot revoke the decision.

"When we first started the registry, we couldn't get 50,000 registered in a year," said Pam Silvestri, Southwest Transplant Alliance spokeswoman. "And we got triple that in 30 days in January."

In January 2013, 152,000 people registered to be organ and tissue donors, more than the two previous January totals combined.

Silvestri said it is good news for the more than 11,000 Texans waiting for potentially life-saving organs.

"For the people waiting for organs, this is showing them that Texans want to give and they didn't think that before, they didn't understand it," Silvestri said. "And now they get that Texans want them to live, and that's exciting."

The surge in donor registrations is the result of a simple question DPS clerks are now required to ask of all applicants: "Would you like to be an organ donor today?"

Although Texans can join the registry online through the Donate Life Texas website, most people won't ever take the time to do that. But everyone has to visit a DPS office at some point to apply for, renew or replace their identification.

DPS also now includes sessions on organ donation during training for new hires. Employees get to meet people who've received life-saving organ transplants from donors who registered through DPS.

"It really puts a little bit of a personal spin on it for those technicians," DPS spokesman Trooper Lonnie Haschel said.

"I think we'll see more lives saved because of it, and that's really the bottom line," Silvestri said. "If more people are registered and more organs are available, more transplants are going to happen and less people are going to die waiting."

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Two 19-Year-Olds Suspected in 15 Robberies

Scott Gordon, NBC 5 News

Police say they caught a pair of alleged serial robbers in the act as they attempted to rob a Braums in Fort Worth.

Two Alleged Serial Robbers Caught

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Two men who were arrested fleeing a restaurant robbery in South Fort Worth on Thursday morning are suspects in as many as 14 other holdups, police said.

Officers responded to a robbery at the Braum's restaurant in the 7400 block of South Hulen Street at about 7 a.m. and saw the two running out the back door.

After a foot chase, the two were captured about a block away, said Sgt. Kelly Peel.

Shaquille Hunte and Kamron McGruder, both 19, were arrested in connection with the Thursday robbery but more charges are possible, Peel said.

The two are suspected in a robbery spree targeting gas stations and fast-food restaurants that started in January, he said.

Police released dramatic surveillance video of the robbery of another Braum's on Sycamore School Road on Feb. 6. It shows two masked men running in with guns and forcing employees to give them cash.

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Family Sees Up Close Henrietta Lacks' Contribution to Science

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Henrietta Lacks has saved a countless numbers of lives, and that was after she died from cervical cancer in 1951.

More than six decades ago, cells from Lacks' body became the first human cells to ever flourish in a lab.

Her descendants on Thursday visited the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte to see close up the impact their ancestor's contribution continues to make.

Lacks was 31 years old when she died. At the time, she had no idea that her cells would be harvested for research.

Dr. Linda Malkas, of City of Hope, launched her career studying what are known as "HeLa" cells, a name with a nod to their origin. On Thursday, she gave Lacks' relatives a tour of the lab.

Lacks' son David and granddaughter Kim flew to Los Angeles from Baltimore, and were eager to learn more about the legacy of their long lost relative.

Kim Lacks said she is proud "to know that the same blood tissues they're using for this research is actually flowing in (my) body."

David Lacks was 4 years old when his mother died.

"I have heard she was a giving person, she was a loving person," he said. "So, I'd imagine she would've given her cells to science."

Since 1951, HeLa cells have helped in creating the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, cloning and in-vitro fertilization.

In 2010, journalist Rebecca Skloot wrote a bestselling book about the history of experimentation on African Americans called "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."

Doctors treating Lacks' cancer gave a sample of her tumor to Dr. George Gey, a researcher at John Hopkins Hospital. He had until then been searching in vain for cells that would live indefinitely in culture so researchers could experiment on them.

Lacks' cells did just that.

Neither Lacks nor her relatives knew this had happened.

"These cells are not just important for research in the United States, they're used around the world," Malkas said.

Malkas and her colleagues are using HeLa cells to develop possible cancer fighting therapies. She told the Lacks that their mother and grandmother is the ultimate example of how we're all connected.

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North Texas Irish Festival Begins

North Texas Irish Festival

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Put on your finest kilt and don't miss the 31st Annual North Texas Irish Festival Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at Fair Park in Dallas. NBC 5 and the Southwest Celtic Music Association invite you to a weekend of delicious Irish food, and an amazing array of Irish and Celtic performers the whole family will enjoy.

The North Texas Irish Festival will feature some of the very finest in Irish and other Celtic entertainment including world famous bands, award-winning dancers, enchanting storytellers, and educational workshops on 13 stages throughout Fair Park. This year's theme "Along the Lines," highlights three significant contributions that Irish immigrants brought to America: their music, literature and willingness to work constructing the railroad system.

Top chefs will modernize Irish classics with new flavor twists and cook with traditional Irish ingredients in cooking presentations that attendees can then taste. There will also be blacksmithing demonstrations, archery in a Celtic village, Gaelic football and horse displays allow attendees to experience Celtic culture.

Urchin Street will include children's entertainment, a petting zoo, safety demonstrations and art activities. For tickets, visit www.ntif.org.

Southwest Celtic Music Association
North Texas Irish Festival
Fair Park – Dallas
www.ntif.org

Friday, March 1
6:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Saturday, March 2
10:30 am – 11:30 pm

Sunday, March 3
11:30 am – 7:30 pm
 

Sponsored in part by

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Highland Park Students Greeted by Tighter Security

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Students arriving to Highland Park High School in University Park on Friday will be greeted by tighter security after a sixth security incident was reported on Thursday.

Metal detectors will be available for authorities to search students at the high school. All students will have to carry their identification with them and will see an increased presence from police.

The FBI says they may start fingerprinting students in order to find any matches to the multiple threatening notes left at the school in the past few weeks.

The FBI is testing the bullets found Wednesday for DNA in an attempt to trace from where they came.

So far, no arrests have been made in connection with any of the threats. Officials said if the threats are connected, the person responsible will face felony charges.

Parents Concerned About Highland Park HS Security

Highland Park High School is under tough new rules after a threatening note was found in a stairwell Thursday afternoon - totaling the sixth security threat in the past two months. Some parents say they've had enough.

FBI Working to Find Person Behind HPHS Threats

First threatening notes, then live ammunition was found at Highland Park High School and on Thursday another threatening note was found. Police and the FBI are working to find the person behind the threats.

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A $7,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Sixth Incident Since January

In what has become a recurring event, another threatening note was been found at the school on Thursday -- this time in a stairwell.

Three times in January and again on Tuesday, threatening notes were found in the same boys bathroom. On all but one of the incidents, students were dismissed early as a security precaution.

On Wednesday, students were again dismissed early after several .22-caliber bullets were found in a different boys bathroom.

With restroom access now restricted, the written bomb threat found Thursday was located in a stairwell.

Police said the note was very similar in writing and content to the ones found in the bathroom.

The school said in a note to parents that they do not believe the threat is credible and that students would not be dismissed early.

The Highland Park school district said it plans to continue to have an added police presence until it feels it is no longer needed. The district is also looking at adding security wands.

"I'm not ready to make that call yet," Superintendent Dawson Orr said. "That does fundamentally change the nature of how kids enter into school every day. Right now, we [have] a very heavy police presence. We think the wands would be a backup -- it's something we do need to evaluate."

The school released to parents the following note about Thursday's incident:

"Another threatening note was found at HPHS. It was found by a UP police officer at the top of a stairwell. We have no reason to believe that it is a credible threat, and we are continuing with the school day.

FBI agents and armed police officers are on campus working with school officials to question students.

We believe it is imperative that we not give in to repeated threats. We acknowledge the stress and anxiety that this has caused for our students, staff and families. Our top priority is to keep everyone on our campus safe and secure. The building has been repeatedly searched and determined to be safe. Armed police officers have been on campus all day. We are aggressively pursuing resolution in this series of highly disruptive events.

For those parents who wish to pick up their children, please contact the attendance office to do so. Standard attendance policies will apply.

HPISD will continue to update parents, students and staff through its emergency text-message system, email, and posts on the district website."

NBC 5's Frank Heinz, Kendra Lyn and Ray Villeda contributed to this report.

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Stolen Truck Rolled Into Pond: Police

Keaton Fox, NBC 5

Police said a stolen truck was abandoned and rolled into a pond near downtown Dallas early Friday morning.

Stolen Truck Rolled Into Pond: Police

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Police said a stolen truck was abandoned and rolled into a pond near downtown Dallas early Friday morning.

A passerby called police to report a truck in the water just off Canada Drive near Winnetka Avenue. The glow of the truck's headlights could be seen clearly through the water. 

The truck was reported stolen, and had some tires missing, police said.

No one was found inside or nearby.

Police will process the truck for evidence when they pull it out of the water.

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