(1) At this stage all we know is that "a man deliberately rammed a truck into FOX 4 studios in Dallas and started ranting."
We do not know if he is genuinely left, right, or faking one of those, or this is non political and maybe psychosis is involved.
So hold your horses.
We do not know if he is genuinely left, right, or faking one of those, or this is non political and maybe psychosis is involved.
So hold your horses.
(2) The sheer speed with which political twitter is accusing this man of being a leftist is ringing alarm bells for me.
Can you wait just five minutes to find out information from the scene before you take the bait? This behavior is no better than what the other side does.
Can you wait just five minutes to find out information from the scene before you take the bait? This behavior is no better than what the other side does.
(3) Waiting a teency little bit longer is a nothing-to-lose proposition for me.
Meantime, wherever you live:
>Maintain situational awareness
>Avoid soft targets
>Avoid unnecessary risks
>Educate yourself on threats & response options.
Stop taking the bait.
Meantime, wherever you live:
>Maintain situational awareness
>Avoid soft targets
>Avoid unnecessary risks
>Educate yourself on threats & response options.
Stop taking the bait.
(4) "Video from Texas Sky Ranger showed the crash created a mess of papers scattered on the ground. Police said the paperwork that was within the truck was written about a different DFW television station."
nbcdfw.com/news/local/Tru…
nbcdfw.com/news/local/Tru…
(5) Local station @WFAA is providing good, timely updates on Twitter. Here's there updating story: wfaa.com/article/news/t…
(6) Right, I'm off to bed, since it's 1am here. Will add more tweets to this thread in the morning. Remember, folks:
Facts > Speculation.
Pre-election season is always crazy town, more so this year.
There's a high probability that in the end, All Will Be Well.
#MAGA
Facts > Speculation.
Pre-election season is always crazy town, more so this year.
There's a high probability that in the end, All Will Be Well.
#MAGA
(7) This man is not a politically-motivated protester working for the left, or the right.
He has personal issues.
He has personal issues.
(8) I always feel bad when I see a mugshot of a person in the middle of some kind of psychotic episode. It's bc I grew up in NZ, where the law enables such people to be committed to a mental health unit for enough time to help them get well again. We don't parade their photos. 
(9) I can hear the objections to my comments already. I've written about these issues before. So here are some threads explaining my position on domestic terrorism, breaking news about crime, etc:
(10) Fox 4 in Dallas has a workplace that is a soft target, like that of the Capital Gazette. Employees, press your employers to change this. Refuse to work in those rooms until security is made adequate for the current threat environment.
(11) One of two threads I wrote about the Capital Gazette shooting:
(12) Capital Gazette shooting thread two of two:
(13) My thread about domestic terrorism, which is politically-motivated violence, not crime that terrorizes, but is motivated by other things.
(14) And finally (for now), the ignorance-fueled vitriol about this case was so extreme that I ended up creating a thread to act as a directory for the 5 threads I've written about it so far. Skip to Thread #5 for the latest news.
Facts > Speculation.
Facts > Speculation.
(15) This was tweeted 4 hours after the news broke. It shows the value of waiting for the Police to release info. His previous arrests could all be related to a long term psychiatric disorder. Substance abuse is often a secondary issue.
(16) Mental health services in the US are not comprehensive & consistently accessible to all. But there is one service that is free & 24/7.
I thought of it when I read that "no one was injured." Not physically. If YOU are upset by news about emergencies, call @distressline.
I thought of it when I read that "no one was injured." Not physically. If YOU are upset by news about emergencies, call @distressline.
(17) September is literally #SuicidePreventionMonth. I know you know of people who have died by suicide. It's that common, statistically. I know of several who have, & more who have attempted. Depression is a global health issue.
(18) The @DistressLine provided under the auspices of the federal Department of Health and Human Services is an American treasure that more people should hear about. They can help after an unlimited number of critical-incident types, incl major crimes.
(19) I know that if a truck had been rammed into the side of my workplace I wouldn't still be sitting at my desk like the Fox 4 employees are in this photo. Good for them, but I hope the company offered support once they had gotten the news out. Delayed reactions are common.
(20) Reporters have always been at risk of targeted attacks by individuals with a personal grievance, or a political motivation. Those who say this is new and related to which party won the US 2016 election are lying.
I oppose the faking of news but I don't want anyone harmed.
I oppose the faking of news but I don't want anyone harmed.
(21) Bless their hearts. A response to the mugshot tweet:
"Eyes and jaw placement seem normal, compared with all mugshots of (controlled?) perps/patsies following FF events."
FF = False flag, a term that is banned from my TL. Have your tinfoil hat fun elsewhere.
"Eyes and jaw placement seem normal, compared with all mugshots of (controlled?) perps/patsies following FF events."
FF = False flag, a term that is banned from my TL. Have your tinfoil hat fun elsewhere.
(22) "The many, many mug shots of 34yo Michael Chadwick Fry. His criminal history started when he was 19yo & includes assault, drug possession and DWI charges." -@Fox4Natalie
IMO Fry's mental issues MAY have worsened recently. I hope he gets a professional evaluation.
IMO Fry's mental issues MAY have worsened recently. I hope he gets a professional evaluation.
(23) One of the flyers found at the scene. Fry's 2012 grievance is against the Police, not the media, who he was trying to draw to his cause. Yes, really.
Coverage:
>fox4news.com/news/who-is-mi…
>dentonrc.com/news/man-accus…
>heavy.com/news/2018/09/m…
>wfaa.com/article/news/l…
.
Coverage:
>fox4news.com/news/who-is-mi…
>dentonrc.com/news/man-accus…
>heavy.com/news/2018/09/m…
>wfaa.com/article/news/l…
.
(24) Fry is charged with felony criminal mischief, which sounds not very serious, but can potentially see him jailed for up to 10 or even 20 years. I'll explain what this means.
This is where you find the TX criminal code: statutes.capitol.texas.gov
This is where you find the TX criminal code: statutes.capitol.texas.gov
(24) TX grades the level of felony criminal mischief by aggravating factors eg weapons/explosives, and the financial impact of the property damage.
To go from misdemeanor to felony in this case, the damage must be >$30,000. Massive commercial window frames & panes aren't cheap.
To go from misdemeanor to felony in this case, the damage must be >$30,000. Massive commercial window frames & panes aren't cheap.
(25) Disclaimer: I've given the relevant penal code sections a quick, layperson's read. If you have professional knowledge of this subject, you can probably find errors, that's fine. My goal is to give readers a ballpark view of what he potentially faces, to reassure people.
(26) AFAIK, whether he is charged with third, second, or first degree felony in this case depends on the total cost of working around, replacing & repairing all the damage, regardless of who owns/uses it or is impacted by it. Third degree is $30k to $150k.
(27) His attorneys will try to get him off the charges with mental health & all manner of tricks, which I predict will fail. Everywhere, the bar for "not guilty by insanity" is high, esp. in TX. He better hope the damage comes in under $300k, to avoid 5-99 years in prison.
(28) The TX code also allows for increases to sentences based on previous convictions. The starting point for third degree felony is 2-10 years. I think it's time for the TX judiciary to protect the public from this man a bit more than they have been doing.
