http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05098/485237.stm
Texas father charged with shooting son's football coach
Friday, April 08, 2005
By Lisa Falkenberg, The Associated Press
CANTON, Texas -- A high school football player's father was charged with aggravated assault today for allegedly shooting his son's coach, who though critically wounded was able to call the school office for help.
Authorities said Jeffrey Doyle Robertson, 45, had been barred from the high school after several earlier confrontations, including one where he was accused of shoving coaches at a team picnic.
Robertson allegedly went to the school just after classes started yesterday and shot coach Gary Joe Kinne, apparently with a .45-caliber pistol. Kinne was in critical but stable condition today at Trinity Mother Frances Health System hospital.
Kinne was alone in the field house when he was shot but managed to call the school's office, Canton schools Superintendent Larry Davis said in a statement. The principal applied pressure to the wound until medical help arrived.
Robertson appeared haggard yet calm in court when he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Judge Lilia Durham set his bond at $1 million.
Robertson was not required to enter a plea. His attorney, William Reece, declined to comment.
Robertson -- who has a tattoo on his arm of cartoon character Yosemite Sam brandishing two guns with the words "Born to Raise Hell" -- was arrested a few hours after the shooting in woods outside of town. He had two guns and a pocket knife with him, Police Chief Mike Echols said.
He was found a few hours after the shootings with self-inflicted wounds, including cuts to his wrists and leg, authorities said. In court Friday morning, bandages were visible on Robertson's wrists.
Echols said Robertson had been barred from Canton High and told not to attend football games after several confrontations, including the one at the annual football picnic, where he was accused of "shoving and verbally abusing" coaches, authorities said.
Police were investigating a possible motive. On Wednesday, Robertson's son, Baron, had apparently been banned from playing all school athletics, said Steve Smith Jr., a senior who was a defensive end and kicker on the team.
"Yesterday, evil reared its head in Canton, Texas," the superintendent said today. "It is useless to speculate on the motives of the shooter since no motive justifies this type of violence."
Baseball and softball games scheduled for today were postponed, but otherwise the school schedule was back to normal, Davis said.
Smith's father described Robertson as "a very high-strung, hot-tempered individual" who threatened Smith Jr. last year -- grabbing his shirt and pushing him up against a fence -- over an on-field teasing. He said Baron Robertson, then a freshman, was walking off the field when some older students "razzed" him.
"This guy blew up," Steve Smith Sr. said. "He thought some kids were picking on his son. My son wasn't even the one who said anything. But he threatened to kill him."
Smith said he complained to the school and police, but Robertson was never charged.
Echols and Davis said they were unaware of any previous threats.
Some parents had been upset that Kinne had made his own son the starting quarterback as a freshman, Smith Sr. said. G.J. Kinne received an honorable mention as quarterback last season in the Associated Press Sports Editors Class 3A all-state poll.
Other parents also said there were frustrations with the program and the coach.
"All parents face that, you know," said Mark Crapanzano, whose son is a sophomore receiver and backup quarterback. "But that's no reason for violence, Some deal with it better than others. You have to be rational. Accept it. Practice hard and accept it."
Kinne came to Canton in 2003 for his first head coaching job after working as an assistant at Mesquite High School. In his first season he took a team that was 3-7 the previous year to an 8-3 record and their first playoff win in 39 years. In 2004 Canton finished 8-2, narrowly missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker.
Canton is a town of about 3,500 people some 60 miles east of Dallas.
Texas father charged with shooting son's football coach
Friday, April 08, 2005
By Lisa Falkenberg, The Associated Press
CANTON, Texas -- A high school football player's father was charged with aggravated assault today for allegedly shooting his son's coach, who though critically wounded was able to call the school office for help.
Authorities said Jeffrey Doyle Robertson, 45, had been barred from the high school after several earlier confrontations, including one where he was accused of shoving coaches at a team picnic.
Robertson allegedly went to the school just after classes started yesterday and shot coach Gary Joe Kinne, apparently with a .45-caliber pistol. Kinne was in critical but stable condition today at Trinity Mother Frances Health System hospital.
Kinne was alone in the field house when he was shot but managed to call the school's office, Canton schools Superintendent Larry Davis said in a statement. The principal applied pressure to the wound until medical help arrived.
Robertson appeared haggard yet calm in court when he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Judge Lilia Durham set his bond at $1 million.
Robertson was not required to enter a plea. His attorney, William Reece, declined to comment.
Robertson -- who has a tattoo on his arm of cartoon character Yosemite Sam brandishing two guns with the words "Born to Raise Hell" -- was arrested a few hours after the shooting in woods outside of town. He had two guns and a pocket knife with him, Police Chief Mike Echols said.
He was found a few hours after the shootings with self-inflicted wounds, including cuts to his wrists and leg, authorities said. In court Friday morning, bandages were visible on Robertson's wrists.
Echols said Robertson had been barred from Canton High and told not to attend football games after several confrontations, including the one at the annual football picnic, where he was accused of "shoving and verbally abusing" coaches, authorities said.
Police were investigating a possible motive. On Wednesday, Robertson's son, Baron, had apparently been banned from playing all school athletics, said Steve Smith Jr., a senior who was a defensive end and kicker on the team.
"Yesterday, evil reared its head in Canton, Texas," the superintendent said today. "It is useless to speculate on the motives of the shooter since no motive justifies this type of violence."
Baseball and softball games scheduled for today were postponed, but otherwise the school schedule was back to normal, Davis said.
Smith's father described Robertson as "a very high-strung, hot-tempered individual" who threatened Smith Jr. last year -- grabbing his shirt and pushing him up against a fence -- over an on-field teasing. He said Baron Robertson, then a freshman, was walking off the field when some older students "razzed" him.
"This guy blew up," Steve Smith Sr. said. "He thought some kids were picking on his son. My son wasn't even the one who said anything. But he threatened to kill him."
Smith said he complained to the school and police, but Robertson was never charged.
Echols and Davis said they were unaware of any previous threats.
Some parents had been upset that Kinne had made his own son the starting quarterback as a freshman, Smith Sr. said. G.J. Kinne received an honorable mention as quarterback last season in the Associated Press Sports Editors Class 3A all-state poll.
Other parents also said there were frustrations with the program and the coach.
"All parents face that, you know," said Mark Crapanzano, whose son is a sophomore receiver and backup quarterback. "But that's no reason for violence, Some deal with it better than others. You have to be rational. Accept it. Practice hard and accept it."
Kinne came to Canton in 2003 for his first head coaching job after working as an assistant at Mesquite High School. In his first season he took a team that was 3-7 the previous year to an 8-3 record and their first playoff win in 39 years. In 2004 Canton finished 8-2, narrowly missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker.
Canton is a town of about 3,500 people some 60 miles east of Dallas.
