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U.S. NEWS Thursday 1 June 2017

Bounty hunters and fugitive shoot each other dead in Texas

By DAVID WARREN phone call Tuesday from
Associated Press Fidel Garcia Jr., a private
DALLAS (AP) — Authori- investigator based in Cor-
ties said Wednesday two pus Christi, Texas, to say
bounty hunters and the fu- Garcia and colleague Ga-
gitive from Minnesota they briel Bernal had tracked
were tracking shot each Hutchinson to the dealer-
other dead in a hail of bul- ship. A woman associated
lets that sent customers with Hutchinson had her
and employees fleeing for car there.
cover at a Texas car deal- After an hours-long wait
ership. for Hutchinson to appear,
The two men had pursued the two bounty hunters
Ramon Michael Hutchin- approached Tuesday eve-
son, 49, to a Nissan dealer- ning. Garcia and Bernal
ship in Greenville, about 50 drew their weapons and
miles (80 kilometers) north- Hutchinson responded
east of Dallas Tuesday. by drawing his own pistol,
Stew Peters, a bail investi- which he dropped, ac-
gator with the private Min- cording to a statement
nesota-based company from Kathy Lucas, spokes-
U.S. Fugitive Recovery and woman for the city of
Extradition, said Hutchin- Greenville. The men fought
son had been sought since as Hutchinson retrieved his In this Tuesday, May 30, 2017 photo, police gather at the scene of a deadly shooting in Greenville,
March when he failed to weapon and began firing. Texas. Authorities said Wednesday two bounty hunters and the fugitive from Minnesota they were
appear for a court hearing The other two fired as well tracking shot each other dead in a hail of bullets that sent customers and employees fleeing for
cover at the car dealership.
in Hennepin County, which and Lucas said about 20 (David Claybourn/The Herald-Banner via AP)
includes Minneapolis. shots were fired in the span
Hutchinson, listed in court of six seconds. Customers Hutchinson and the two earlier and identified them- decade and said he would
records as a resident of St. and employees fled for investigators died at the selves as federal agents. not misrepresent himself.
Paul, Minnesota, was fac- cover. scene. No one else was They later presented them- “He always performed his
ing several charges that “Mr. Garcia felt the defen- struck by the gunfire. selves to a receptionist and investigations with the ut-
included assaulting a law dant would ultimately ap- The owner of the dealer- the general manager in the most integrity,” Peters said,
enforcement officer. pear at that dealership,” ship, Rick Ford, told The same way, Ford said. adding that Garcia com-
It’s not clear what brought Peters said. “Unfortunately Associated Press by email Peters said he didn’t know monly wore both audio
Hutchinson to Texas but Mr. Hutchinson was more Wednesday that the two Bernal, 33, but had been and visual recording devic-
Peters said he received a prepared for a gunfight.” men called the dealership friends with Garcia for a es while working. q
1st prison sentence given in Bundy armed standoff in Nevada

By KEN RITTER the confrontation that DeLemus arrived at the get a six-year sentence af- mus, that you unfortunately
Associated Press became a rallying cry Bundy ranch hours after ter pleading guilty last Au- are blinded by the infor-
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge for those who want vast the tense armed standoff gust to conspiracy to com- mation you choose to be-
called a New Hampshire stretches of federal land in that led to the release of mit an offense against the lieve,” she said.
man a “bully vigilante” and the U.S. West put under lo- the rancher’s cattle and U.S. and interstate travel in Instead of advising Bundy
sentenced him Wednes- cal control. Eighteen others was hailed as a victory in aid of extortion. to abide by court orders
day to more than seven are in custody. a decades-long fight over But Chief U.S. District Judge to pay 20 years of over-
years in prison for his role DeLemus has been jailed government-owned land. Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas due grazing fees or let
organizing armed backers for almost 16 months, so He then spent more than a added time after faulting agents round up his cattle
of Nevada rancher Cliven the sentence means the month in an encampment DeLemus for trying to with- from public land, Navarro
Bundy after a standoff with 62-year-old former U.S. Ma- organizing armed patrols draw his pleas. said DeLemus became “a
U.S. agents in 2014. rine will spend about six and serving as an interme- She said she didn’t think he bully vigilante, threaten-
Gerald “Jerry” DeLemus more years behind bars. diary between a self-styled accepted responsibility for ing peacekeepers of the
became the first person His attorney, Dustin Marcel- militia and local authorities. his actions.
sentenced for his ties to lo, said he will appeal. He had been expected to “I have to say, Mr. DeLe- community.”q