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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 OcTOber 2019

Man arrested in Elected Arizona official accused

Texas shooting that of selling babies suspended

left 2 dead, 12 hurt PHOENIX (AP) — An elect-
ed official in Arizona was
suspended Monday after
GREENVILLE, Texas (AP) — he was charged with run-
A man suspected of open- ning a human smuggling
ing fire at an off-campus scheme that brought preg-
college party in Texas, kill- nant women from the Mar-
ing two people and injur- shall Islands to the U.S. to
ing 12 others, was arrested give birth and then paid
Monday. them to give up their chil-
Brandon Ray Gonzales, 23, dren for adoption.
of Greenville, Texas, was Leaders in Arizona's most
taken into custody less populous county suspend-
than 48 hours after Satur- ed Assessor Paul Petersen
day's shooting, Hunt Coun- without pay for 120 days.
ty Sheriff Randy Meeks The Maricopa County
said. Gonzales, who was Board of Supervisors doesn't
arrested at the auto deal- have the power to perma-
ership where he worked, nently remove him from his
was booked into the Hunt This undated photo provided office, which determines
by the Hunt County (Texas)
County jail on a charge of Sheriff's office shows Brandon the value of properties for
capital murder of multiple Ray Gonzales. tax purposes in Phoenix
persons. Bond was set at $1 Associated Press and its suburbs.
million. Petersen, who is in federal
The shooting happened in a rural area some 2.5 custody, has so far refused
around midnight Saturday miles (4 kilometers) from to resign since his arrest on This undated booking photo provided by the Maricopa County
outside Greenville, 15 miles the Greenville city limits, Oct. 8. His lawyer, Kurt Alt- Sheriff's Office shows County Assessor Paul Petersen, who has
(24 kilometers) southwest through the back door and man, said Petersen will fight been indicted in an adoption fraud case.
of a satellite campus of the began firing with a hand- to keep the job he was last Associated Press
Texas A&M University Sys- gun, Meeks said. It was elected to in 2016.
tem. Authorities believe the "complete chaos" after the Petersen, a Republican, tersen, sometimes with little citing his absence from the
shooter may have been shots rang out, with hun- has been indicted in fed- to no prenatal care, court office during his incarcera-
targeting just one person dreds of people including eral court in Arkansas and documents say. tion and limited access to
at the party of about 750 the gunman fleeing, the also charged in Arizona Petersen charged fami- phone and email.
people, and that others sheriff said. and Utah with crimes that lies $25,000 to $40,000 per An audit of Petersen's of-
may have been shot at Of the 12 people injured, include human smuggling, adoption, prosecutors said. fice also found files from
random, Meeks has said. six were shot and six were sale of a child, fraud, forg- Petersen completed a mis- his adoption business on his
Kevin Berry Jr. of Dallas and trampled or hurt by glass, ery and conspiracy to sion in the Marshall Islands, county computer, which
Byron Craven Jr. of Arling- authorities said. Five re- commit money laundering. a collection of atolls and can't be used for personal
ton, both 23, were killed, mained in the hospital — The criminal case spans islands in the eastern Pa- business, the supervisors
authorities said. one in critical condition three years and involves cific, for The Church of said.
The shooting took place at and four in good condition some 75 adoptions, au- Jesus Christ of Latter-day Board Chairman Bill Gates
a Halloween and home- — on Monday, Meeks said. thorities said, with about 30 Saints. He later worked in said the supervisors will look
coming party for Texas The shooting came as Tex- adoptions pending in three the islands and the U.S. on to appoint someone to fill
A&M University-Commerce as A&M University-Com- states. behalf of an international Petersen's position during
at a facility called The merce, about 60 miles (97 Petersen is accused of ille- adoption agency before the suspension.
Party Venue, according to kilometers) northeast of gally paying women from going to law school and Petersen is allowed to re-
Meeks, though officials said Dallas, celebrated home- the Marshall Islands to have becoming an adoption at- quest a hearing to de-
it was not a school-sanc- coming weekend. Accord- their babies in the United torney. fend himself. Petersen's
tioned event. ing to its website, it is the States and give them up The Board of Supervisors attorney said the law al-
Authorities believe the second-largest university in for adoption. The women said Monday that Arizona lowing elected officials
shooter entered the venue, the Texas A&M University were crammed into homes law allows it to suspend Pe- to be suspended may be
which sits along a highway System.q owned or rented by Pe- tersen for "neglect of duty," unconstitutional.q