Here’s where we're at so far:
Jacqueline at Arlington Texas Crime Analysis (PD) states that neither Derek Bearden or Jorge Mescina are in their system. There were seven burglaries reported on the date in question, but none match this description. Also, neither name appears in any Google search for such events. 817-459-5700
There is no Dave Walters (or Walter) on the roster at the Fort Wayne PD. 817-392-4200 [edit: It's also amusing in his "article" where he tells the detective to take his best girl to safety, while he continues the sweep of the house.]
Airscrew, working to give Iceman the benefit of the doubt, confirmed that such a story did not run in the Burleson Star by contacting the editor at his e-mail address. I called the publisher, Ike Massey, who reads all of their publications each week, and he had no knowledge of such an article running. He did remember the much less exciting c-store shooting. I sent him a copy of the last post to make sure, along with a link to this thread. I haven’t heard back yet, be we have been having junk mail filter issues, apparently. Of course, given the quality of the “article” that was posted -- he may be too embarrassed to admit such a thing if it did slip by the editor, fact check and proofing. I know I would be in total denial (and looking for another job)
817-295-0486
Only reason that I let this guy even write the story was because he was the only media person that actaully called me, the rest were just trying to make me look like it was my fault asking crazy questions like why did you do this, and why that... DANG I hate the media !
The subject of a story has absolutely no control over whether it runs or not.
That was like on the 18th when fox 4 said it. After I woke up the day after there were reporters from ABC and Fox there and they were just slamming me with questions, basically trying to make me look like a gun toating madman
No record of this at all, and if they were asking questions then there would be a record. You not answering questions only adds blood to the waters if it is an attack piece.
Quality of article: I have earned a living in either PR or Journalism for the past 14 years. I have probably written near 1 million published words during that time in various feature and hard news styles. Grammar and punctuation errors aside (could be transcription errors, after all), this article does not pass muster for a high school newspaper piece. For example, too much ancillary detail:
Derek Bearden who as his fiance stated "frequents the gun range often" grabbed a .45 caliber glock pistol which happened to be in his shoulder holster slung around the back of a desk chair.
Ouch. That’s painful to read. And the morph into the happily ever after is unnatural in style and artificial in tone. There are too many to list. This is to journalism what the movie Pearl Harbor is to historical cinema.
Here’s a real hero from Arlington, Texas, who was easy to find. BTW, look at the tone. Hardly a self-defense hate piece looking to be buried somewhere.
A 66-year-old grandmother is giving new meaning to the saying, "Don't Mess With Texas." Susan Gaylord Buxton of Arlington, Texas, shot an intruder who broke into her home using the .38-caliber handgun she keeps by her bedside. The intruder, Christopher Lessner, 22, suffered a leg wound and is now in jail.
For link: Google (Arlington Texas, shot, intruder)
Well, that was about 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.
Charon
