This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8137496.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| US serial killer 'shot by police' | US serial killer 'shot by police' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Police in the US say they have shot dead a serial killer who had terrorised a town in South Carolina. | Police in the US say they have shot dead a serial killer who had terrorised a town in South Carolina. |
| Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, was killed during an attempted burglary 30 miles (48km) from Gaffney, South Carolina. | |
| Bullets in his gun reportedly matched those used in the murders, which saw five residents of Gaffney shot and killed within a few days of each other. | Bullets in his gun reportedly matched those used in the murders, which saw five residents of Gaffney shot and killed within a few days of each other. |
| Police said Burris had a long criminal record, and had been released on parole in April after serving eight years. | Police said Burris had a long criminal record, and had been released on parole in April after serving eight years. |
| "Look at this," State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Chief Reggie Lloyd told a press conference, waving a copy of Burris' criminal record. | "Look at this," State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Chief Reggie Lloyd told a press conference, waving a copy of Burris' criminal record. |
| "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street." | "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street." |
| Previous charges filed against Burris included larceny, forgery and breaking and entering in several states in the south-eastern US. | Previous charges filed against Burris included larceny, forgery and breaking and entering in several states in the south-eastern US. |
| Police say they still do not know the motive behind the killings. | Police say they still do not know the motive behind the killings. |
| "He was unpredictable. He was scary. He was weird," the deputy director of the SLED, Neil Dolan, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. | "He was unpredictable. He was scary. He was weird," the deputy director of the SLED, Neil Dolan, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. |
| "We have him. He's our serial killer," Mr Dolan added. | "We have him. He's our serial killer," Mr Dolan added. |
| The killings all occurred over six days within about 10 miles (16km) of each other in Cherokee County, a rural community some 50 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. | The killings all occurred over six days within about 10 miles (16km) of each other in Cherokee County, a rural community some 50 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| A peach farmer was killed on 27 June, an 83-year-old woman and her daughter were found bound and shot four days later, and the following day a father and his teenaged daughter were shot in their family's furniture shop. | A peach farmer was killed on 27 June, an 83-year-old woman and her daughter were found bound and shot four days later, and the following day a father and his teenaged daughter were shot in their family's furniture shop. |
| Burris was shot to death by officers responding to a burglary complaint at a home in Gastonia, in neighbouring North Carolina. | Burris was shot to death by officers responding to a burglary complaint at a home in Gastonia, in neighbouring North Carolina. |
| Police say an investigation is underway to determine if he was involved in other unsolved crimes in the area. | Police say an investigation is underway to determine if he was involved in other unsolved crimes in the area. |