Texas governor’s cousin, 74, dies in gunfire exchange with deputies

By Daniel Tencer
Thursday, October 1st, 2009 -- 3:33 pm
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larrywheelerrickperrycousin Texas governors cousin, 74, dies in gunfire exchange with deputiesThe family of Larry Don Wheeler, cousin of Texas Governor Rick Perry, is waiting to hear from the authorities as to why their loved one died in a "burst of gunfire" after sheriff's deputies arrived at his home Saturday night.

Wheeler's death "is not making any sense," family lawyer David Gossom told the TimesRecordNews in Wichita Falls, Texas, adding that the family "is in shock" from the incident.

According to that news report, deputies from the Montague County Sheriff's Office showed up at Wheeler's home in Nocona, northwest of Dallas, after reports of a gunshot being heard in the vicinity.

Soon afterward, Wheeler died in what the Associated Press describes as an "exchange of gunfire."

The AP report cites Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey as saying that "Wheeler was holding a shotgun and an officer was shot in the hand."

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The TRN reports that the family is "waiting to see if there is a reasonable explanation for what happened." The Texas Rangers and the local district attorney's office are investigating, and an autopsy is pending. Wheeler evidently had no history of conflict with the local police.

According to his obituary, Wheeler "passionately worked many years to support his cousin, Governor Rick Perry."

A 2005 press release from Gov. Perry lists Wheeler as the Nocona steering committee head for Perry's 2006 re-election campaign.

Perry is widely known as a "tough-on-crime" politician who fiercely supports the death penalty and aggressive policing.

The TRN describes Wheeler as a quiet individual who loved "golf, traveling and writing," and whose violent death "is a sharp contrast to the life he lived."

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Story comments are below...

  • texasaggie
    The thought that Goodhair really gives a darn about his cousin that seems implicit in many of the posts needs to be reexamined. Goodhair cares only about himself and the only twinge he would feel is that he lost a supporter and campaign worker. That's why this event isn't going to change a thing in Goodhair's program. He thinks that the famous base supports it so he's going to go with it until the base makes it clear that it doesn't support it, which will never happen. See OldAtlantic for an example.

    There is a reason that Goodhair lost his home county during the last election and previous elections as well. The people who know him best don't think he's much good.
  • thepoliticalcat
    According to his obit, Wheeler "passionately" supported his "tough-on-crime, aggressive-policing" cousin, Governor Goodhair. Well, what goes around comes around, yaknow, although the Governor will probably have the heads of the cops who shot his cousin instead of shooting some poor black or brown people, like they're supposed to. Governor Goodhair, this is a classic case of Instant Karma's Gonna Get You. I can't help but wonder how else Karma's planning to bite your steatopygous ass.
  • theunrepentantliberal
    Live by the gun, die by the gun. I am never, ever going to set foot in the God forsaken hell hole that is Texas as long as I live.

    Except, maybe Big Bend National Park.
  • marinessuck
    Another case of misidentified Quail by all parties concerned!
  • Gray
    Nothing unusual, most probably nobody did anything illegal in this case. This is just the result of the totally screwed up laws of that state. Wheeler was in his right to fire a gun on his own property, but the cops were right to investigate this, too. Then Wheeler maybe didn't recognize that it was the police approaching him, or maybe he didn't believe they were for real, so he was in his legal right to defend his home with this gun, as the new "self defense by gun" law allows him to do. And of course the officers behaved according to the legal rules when they returned fire. So, nothing illegal here, everybody was right, and in the best tradition of the lone star state the winner of this controversy was determined by the shooting skills of the involved parties. Just like it was done in the dark ages, when peope belived the lord would help the more righteous guy to win a duel!

    So, nothing unusual, nothing illegal in this, and this makes a lot of sense, in the light of Texan laws. Everybody should be satisfied with the outcome and mind his own business now. And Wheeler's family should be ashamed of their whining. That un-Texan, and is showing a lack of faith in the judgment of the Lord!
  • nader paul kucinich gravel
    Honesty compassion intelligence guts?
    We have an ongoing American Holocaust.
    Do you still want to believe what you were told about 9/11?
    The guilty are busy importing private mercenaries to hide behind.
  • It's TWAT for tat, because Texas has a long history of killing innocent people.

    Didn't bush kill a mentally retarded guy as gov.?

    Gov. bush refuse to go to James Byrd's funeral.

    Karma Chameleon.
  • Maybe he was trying to secede from the U.S.?

    I love how friends say that it wasn't how how he lived his life. Yes if was, cause it got him "kill'ed" dead.

    Form AP: Montague County District Attorney Jack McGaughey (muh-GOY') says Wheeler was holding a shotgun and an officer was shot in the hand. No other details have been released, and an autopsy is pending.
    ____________
  • MadTom
    If people were pot, Republicans would be ditchweed sprayed with DDT.
  • dennycrane
    Live by the gun, die by the gun. I feel sad...hmmm..NOT. Keep this up till the population is thinned down to just the "lefties."
  • MadTom
    Wa there a search warrant?

    If not, what were cops doing in this man's BACK yard?
  • thepoliticalcat
    Investigating a reported crime. As they are mandated to do. Whereupon he shot a cop, and they returned fire. Business as usual, in Texas, home of the most lax gun laws in the nation.
  • Gray
    The police don't need any warrant if they act on a credible report of shooting. They are legally allowed to enter property when there's a reasonable suspicion of clear and present danger. Read the laws.

    Apart from this, the news stories don't say anything about them even entering the property. As far as we know, this may have been a garden fence shootout. Hey, Wyatt Earp didn't really enter the OK Corral, either, remember?
  • Phil E. Drifter
    Who the hell needs search warrants any more, we have the PATRIOT act!
  • MadTom
    Sorry -- senior moment -- having a nice day -- forgot all about the Eight Years of Shame -- I thought we still had a Constitution.
  • Phil E. Drifter
    NICE! First someone ships a box of pot to some governor, USPS finds it, alerts authorities, the moment he opens his front door to pick up a package (he has no idea what's inside) police raid his home and shoot his dog...

    Now this!

    Woo hoo!

    How's that 'war on (some) drugs' workin' out for you, Uncle Sam?
  • thepoliticalcat
    The first incident to which you're referring involves the *Mayor* of Berwyn Heights, a pretty nice guy, by all accounts. Progressive. He's suing the cops of Prince George's County, and I sincerely hope he cleans them out.
  • edward
    Karma
  • buckqjohnson
    This is what happens when govt. officials or people applaud aggressive policing. Eventually somebody in your family is the victim of said act. He's just getting some of what he agree happens to minorities in his state and others. What he doesn't understand is that when you have an atmosphere of hate and intolerance and attack, don't be surprised that the agents of your ideology consider you part of the problem also. The student is teaching the teacher on how things will be.
  • DFW
    Read the article. "Perry is widely known as a "tough-on-crime" politician who fiercely supports the death penalty and aggressive policing." Well, he got his aggressive policing, and he got his dead person. Our illustrious Governor Perry should be fine with this.
  • Gray
    Yup, there's no reason to give a guy who shot a the police more leeway than any other suspect. Quite to the contrary, the evidence is overwhelming in this case, so this should be a no brainer for Perry! He should use this in his campaign as a great example of both the laws of Texas, and his aggressive policing at work. Wheeler was right to defend his home, and the police was right to shoot back. Just like in the good ole days of the Wild West! That's a refreshing move back to the roots, and shows Texan faith in god helping the true believers to survive. Wheeler was weighed on the scales against God's perfect standard, and fell short of it. His family should be ashamed of questioning the judgment of the Lord!
  • marxy mcliberalson
    NO! YOU GET TO FIND OUT NOTHING YOU FUCKER! TEXAS EXECUTED AN INNOCENT MAN, THEY KNOW IT! BUT PERRY STOPPED AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION! You get to find out what happened to your cousin after all the families of innocent executed prisoners find out what happened to their loved ones, you get to find out what happened in your brothers shooting after all the poor minority people who have been shot assaulted attacked and raped by the police but dont have a dick head treasonous terrorist traitor governor for a cousin. As far as I can see this is the only result you will get when you have rogue lawless cops who are looking for any opportunity to kick some ass, electrocute or shoot someone who come into contact with armed paranoid delusional racist government haters.
  • palmharbor11
    Well, the guy was just using his second amendment rights there in Texas. So did the police and the consequences is that there is one less Conservative Republican to
    vote in the next 20 elections. No problem.
  • Gray
    Yup, everything happened according to the law! This is what people wanted when they voted for the "self defense by gun" law. Wheeler is allowed to shoot if the thinks there's asomething fishy about the police officers. And the cops are allowed to shoot back. A totally ordinary incident, at least in Texas. Nothing to see there, move on!
    :D
  • Typical white trash republicans setting a bad example for children.
  • OldAtlantic
    Texas is in a state of invasion. That is why the police act like a war is on, there is one. This is a case of friendly fire which is what happens in a war. The remedy is end anchor baby and recognize that post 1965 immigration was never valid.
  • texasaggie
    Oh, right. Like there are lots of immigrants in Wichita Falls. And since the illegal immigrants are about a tenth as likely to engage in crime as citizens are judging by incarceration rates for actual crimes, the police mistook this guy for an illegal immigrant and shot him purely out of fear.

    Why don't you get yourself a beachfront home to ride out the next major hurricane?
  • surgethis
    The police are being armed and trained for military style combat operations. They are being indoctrinated to perceive average citizens as possible enemy combatants .... why ... because Texas is where the shadow government is launching it's initial military take over and they anticipate resistance. Why Texas .. 2 reason I know of. First the population is predominately conservative and are easily led ... Second they are secretly building the TransNational Corridor highway that will link Mexico to Canada and function as a military transport system dividing the East and West coasts.
  • ThumperNM
    Let me get this right, you say the Governor and his Uncle are guilty of invading Texas? Well in that case I guess the Texas Sheriff's office had a clear case of returning fire from this guy.
  • Gray
    Yup, OldAtlantic sure has a point! Wheeler's family, and Perry should show their original birth certificate to everybody to prove they are not actually illegal immigrants!
  • thepoliticalcat
    Long form only!!
  • TiredOfThePhonies
    " the family is “waiting to see if there is a reasonable explanation for what happened"

    There is no need to wait. Just look at that clown governor who hides in human form.

    The guns don't fall far from the family tree.
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