I shed tears, literally as I write this. My brothers are dead. Cpl. Arlie Jones, Cpl. Scott Gardner have passed away. I found it appropriate that it go here and not in the off topic. You will see, in later reading. My graduate academy buddy, eating partner, division partner is in serious condition. Abel Marquez is being flown to Lubbock as I write this. The three went on a disturbance call, and the stories are not sorted out at this time. The story is this though, we lost 2 officers and one is in serious condition.

Cpl. Jones was a 23 year veteran, and a Christian Man. As my wife drove me to the hospital tonight, she asked how well I knew him. Well enough I told her, that Friday afternoon, he was doing what Arlie does best, reading his Police Officers Bible. In a job like this where being a gentleman with thugs and the like, he carried a big gun and charism and God wholly attitude, with everyone he dealt with. You will be missed Arlie.
Cpl. Scott Gardner, was a big guy, big heart, and LOVED to hunt! If you have remembered me state about the buddy who had bought land in Sanderson with another officer, this was half of that team. He was the Ultimate hunting fanatic, and loved it as much or more as I do. We always talked about the lease, and the "big plans" for the coming years. I guess your at the Ultimate Lease now Scott with the Lord watching every step. I will miss you and the likes we had. So comes the title for the caption.

Able, your always good for a laugh, and we have shared many moments, bad and good. Your tough, young and full of life. I pray the Lord keeps you in the palm of his hand. It crushed me to see you on that stretcher, and I cried like a baby. I wasn't ready to see you with tubes, IVs and such. Myslef and my wife stayed until we saw the big bird take off. You gotta come back buddy. I count on you for the laughs and the good stories. Without you there will be most definately a void in my life.
This has left my family and yes myself grasping at what happened. My mom cried hysterically on the phone. She was praying it wasn't me that had died. My family is realizing the hardships of my proffession, and it is an eye opener. I am in a state of shock and this seems like a nightmare that I can't get out of. I have seen many awful things, but not with my own.
Please pray for the families, their losses, and what comes ahead.

Peace brothers, You will be missed, Roy

http://www.oaoa.com/news/marquez_7449___article.html/police_opd.html

http://www.kwes.com/

[url=http://www.cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=2178]http://www.cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=2178[/url

http://www.kwes.com/

Prayers to all of you Roy. Anything we can do just say the word brother.

I posted in the off topic I did not see this post. I am glad to know you are ok Roy and mourn for those families. This hits EXTREMELY close to home. I grew up at 2900 Ventura and knew Larry the shooter very well. This is a sad sad day for Odessa, TX. Again glad to know you are ok.

I am so sorry to hear that 7mag. Prayers sent.

Lora and I are both sorry to hear about the loss of your friends and comrades. We are both thankful that you were not one of the injured or slain. Our thoughts and prayers are with the officers families and for you and Miss Linda.

What a tragic event, i didn't hear about it until about 20 minutes ago. If you need anything or if the families of the officers need anything, you let me know.

Thank GOD your OK.

prayers sent out from the caprock country..hang in and keep faith that the best seem to always get called up early...sorry that happened , cap

Roy and our friends at Odessa Police Dept.,
Our special prayers go out to you, your family, and your friends. The families of the Odessa Police Dept., and the community. We also bear heavy heart with the news you share of your coworkers ultimate sacrifice. It is a Dark days for all us to bear witness to such action which we will never understand. The Lord has a greater plan for these great friends. Stand up; be proud for your service and what you have done, the time shared with these dear lost comrades, and their families. Honor their memories and know they are watching over you now for you are one of their dear comrades. We all share a special place in our heart for those whom stand the watch so we may live with the safety, liberty, and freedoms we enjoy everyday. We often forget the human sacrifices that toil on the many that serve in harms way. It saddens me greatly to understand that the accused was a VNV. Prayer for the family of the cowardly despaired man, for I know they are in great pain and confusion also. But- May justice be served when he is held accountable for his actions.
Abel, Rosie, Pete, Roy, May God heal your wounds and make your heart and family strong. May we all remember that tomorrow is a gift from above?

To the families of our fallen heroes, And now may the Lord bless you and Keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious?
Unto you, and may God give to you His peace in your going out and in your
Coming in, in lying down and your rising up, in you labor and in your
Leisure, in you laughter and in your tears, until you come to stand before
Jesus in that day in which there is no sunset and no dawning, only life
Everlasting in the presence of God and arms of our savior.
Alway, James

As a former Police Officer I feel your pain. My wife and I will include you all in our prayers.

We are so sorry to here about your loss. Our prayers are with you and the other famalies.

Prayers to the families and friends for their loss. And another for the City of Odessa for strength to get through this tragedy.

prayers sent

Prayer sent to you and those families.

May the hearts of you and their family have peace.

Humm sorry Roy, prayers sent

Don't really know you Roy, but you and your friends will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Our prayers are with the men and their families, you and your family and all the men and women that protect us.

Roy,

I saw this on Texas Bowhunter and I was very worried that you were involved. I was glad to see that you had replied to that post. I am so very sorry for the loss of your brothers-in-arms. I had my whole church congregation pray for your community, the families of the fallen officers, for Able and for you and your department this morning.

Take care, God Bless and May Angels ride along with you on every mile that you take in that patrol car.

If there is anything that I can do, give me a call.

Kiowa Scout

I spoke with Roy a little while ago....He is in Lubbock right now.......Prayers sent to all law enforcement for safe shifts........and to all those that serve us.......

Kent,
How did Roy sound? Did you here anything new about his partner?

BTW,
How do you like being back in the PB?

My prayers go out for your Brothers. Peace be with you.

Roy just said that they were going to do surgery on him in the morning and he wasn't in good shape.....just holding on....
Roy sounded tired and drained........I feel for all those guys......

ODESSA (AP) - The wife of a man accused of killing two police officers and critically wounding a third had called police to the house several times before when he'd get drunk "and a little pushy", a neighbor said Sunday.

Larry White, 58, was an avid hunter who liked guns and often drank beer during the day, next-door neighbor Raymond Graham said Sunday.

"I can't believe he snapped," he said. "Something made him tweak."

Investigators say a woman called authorities around 6:15 p.m. Saturday. When police arrived, she came out and told officers her husband had hit her, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said.

Police couldn't enter the house through the front door. When they tried to go in the back door, a man began firing at them. He then came out of the house and continued shooting before retreating back inside, Mange said.

It wasn't immediately clear how many guns he had or what kind they were, but the wounded officer was shot with buckshot.

Graham said police had been called to the home at least three times in the past 10 years.

"But all the previous times it was nonviolent," he said. "Never anything involving gunfire. He'd get drunk and he'd get a little pushy."

White's wife, Judy, could not be located to comment Sunday. The couple have no children, Graham said.

The White's one-story house appeared untended and in disrepair in an otherwise pleasant, well-kept neighborhood in this oil patch city of about 95,000 about 300 miles west of Austin. An oil derrick was pumping Sunday across the street in an elementary-school yard.

A request for information about prior incidents at the home and a copy of the 911 tape from Saturday evening was not immediately fulfilled by Odessa police Sunday.

Graham said that before any shots were fired he overheard Judy White tell Cpls. Arlie Jones, 48, and John "Scott" Gardner, 30, that she had locked her husband's guns in the trunk of her older model Mercedes Benz inside the couple's garage last weekend.

Jones and Gardner were both killed in the shootout.

After talking to police in Graham's driveway, Judy White asked to use Graham's phone, the neighbor said.

"She said, 'Larry's drunk and they're going to talk him down,'" he said. "And then bam, bam, bam, bam. He opened fire on (the officers)," who had their guns drawn as they made their way into the backyard of White's home.

Judy White and Graham were standing near a window in his home when gunfire erupted, Graham said.

"As soon as he opened fire they returned fire but he had already hit them both," Graham said. "We saw it all going on."

Authorities eventually were able to speak with the suspected gunman, who surrendered after 10 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

Graham said White was diagnosed with stomach cancer about two years ago and given six months to live, but the disease was in remission.

Cpl. Abel Marquez, 32, who was shot in the face with buckshot, remained hospitalized in Lubbock in critical condition.

White was expected to be charged with two counts of capital murder and three counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer, officials said.

Blood splatters from Marquez's wounds remained on Graham's driveway pavement early Sunday. Marquez initially hung back near the street but went to the corner of the house near the backyard with his gun drawn, Graham said.

Another neighbor, 21-year-old Monica Renteria, was trying to close her family's garage door when she saw Marquez, her cousin's father, holding the left side of his face.

She yelled to him from across the street to ask if he was OK.

"He gestured no, he wasn't OK," Renteria said. "His eyes were like....you could tell something was going on."

Another patrol arrived a short time later and took Marquez to the hospital, Graham said.

The dead officers lay on either side of the home's back door. Police brought an armored vehicle into the yard and a robot was used to pull the officers' bodies away from the home, Graham said.

Mange said the men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers' deaths were the first by gunfire in the department's history, and doubled the number killed in the line of duty, DPS' Mange said. Two officers died in 1982 and 1988 in motorcycle accidents, according to the department's Web site.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.

7mag, sorry to hear about the loss of your friends. I'm sure that God has a plan for them, something greater than you or I could fathom. Our prayers go out to the families, for strength during this time of mourning, and to Able, for a speedy and complete recovery. We will also say a prayer for you in this stressful time.

God Bless

Roy, I'll pray for you and the families of your fallen colleagues. Sounds like you've got your "priorities" in order. You obviously know where to turn for such situations. May peace find you waiting.

JB