Texas man kills 2 over eviction notice

A man killed two people, including a law enforcement officer who was serving him an eviction notice at a home near Texas A&M University, on Monday before police fatally shot the suspect in a gun battle that lasted half an hour, officials said.

Four people also were injured, police and city officials in College Station said. The shooting comes at a time of national concern over gun violence after two recent mass shootings.

The dead officer was identified as Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann, said Scott McCollum, assistant chief of the police department in College Station.

McCollum said Bachmann, 41, was shot in front of the house, about two blocks from the Texas A&M campus, and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police identified the gunman as Thomas Caffall, 35, and the bystander killed as Chris Northcliff, 43, of College Station.

College Station city spokesman Jay Socol said authorities were still investigating Caffall's background.

A Facebook page listed as belonging to Caffall included photographs of rifles he had said he had acquired, including a Czech vz 58 assault rifle. The university issued a code maroon shortly after noon, warning students and employees that an active shooter was in the area west of campus and asking them to stay away.

Officials said the wounded included a 55-year-old woman, who underwent surgery, and College Station police officer Justin Oehlke, who was in stable condition. Officers Brad Smith and Phil Dorsett were injured by what police called gun shrapnel. This was the fourth mass shooting incident in the country in four weeks.

On July 17, one Nathan Van Wilkins allegedly opened fire on Copper Top Bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, injuring 17 people. A gunman opened fire in a movie theatre in Aurora, Coorado, at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, leaving 12 people dead. On August 5 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a gunman with ties to white supremacists walked into a gurdwara and killed six Sikhs.

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