Crime

Man Charged with Murder After Shooting Alleged Car Thief

By Chelsea Reinhard, Aug 13, 2014
 

Big Spring-- A man passing through Big Spring has been charged with murder after chasing down a man who reportedly stole his vehicle and fatally shooting the thief, Howard County Sheriff Stan Parker reports.

The incident occurred on Aug. 9 at approximately 8:20 p.m., a press release states. Howard County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the TA truck stop at 704 W. Interstate 20 for the report of a stolen vehicle.

The call initiated from James Keck, 24, who stated that his mother’s vehicle had just been stolen from the truck stop. Keck informed dispatch that he was following the vehicle on the north service road of I-20, reaching speeds of 105 mph, the release states. The vehicle then turned north on Highway 176.

Howard County Sheriff’s Deputies, Big Spring Police and EMS personnel responded to the scene, where they found that Keck had shot 42-year-old Bobby Bricker of Big Spring, the man who had allegedly stolen the vehicle.

Justice of the Peace Bennie Green later pronounced Bricker deceased.

“Based upon the investigation and available evidence, investigators determined the shooting was not justified by Keck,” Sheriff Parker states in the press release.

Keck was subsequently taken into custody and charged with murder. Keck is not a Big Spring resident and was passing through when the incident occurred.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time. Howard County Sheriff Stan Parker will release further details as they become available.

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Comments

Give him probation and let it go. The thief deserved whatever he received. You want to play in the big leagues? be prepared for the consequences.
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No sense jumping to conclusions if you are not familiar with the facts in the case. That's what comes out in the trial.
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Legal, no. Justified, hell yes. Those who deprive others of their property or well being should indeed fear for their lives, and occasionally pay with them when the opportunity presents itself. Bobby Bricker had a history of convictions ranging from DWI's to theft and bail jumping. He was sentenced to 230 days In May on theft charge and somehow managed to be out by August 4th -- just in time to steal someone's car 5 days later. Had our do-nothing justice system gotten a hold of him, his charge would've been "unauthorized use of a motor vehicle" and he'd be out in no time victimizing others within days of his release. It's a drop in the bucket, but the public will never have to worry about Bobby Bricker again.
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Eye for an eye.... Not, car for a life.... Stealing is wrong but forgivable.. This man is now deprived the chance to better himself and do great things...
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Jacob, you are a comedian.... this dead man had a chance to better himself all of his life and I can almost guess this cat wouldn't ever have changed and done great things. The compassion I may have for this car thief is not for him, but for his family. I can't help but think that even his family is sighing a breath of relief, at least now, they can go to bed not worried about getting that 2 a.m. phone call.
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Jacob, you are no comedian. Unless you were being facetious. Lots of folks living a hard life have been saved. This man, eventually might have seen the light. Unfortunately for him though he messed with the wrong one. Daddy always warned about the bigger and badder.
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I am just very curious...did this man by any chance leave that truck running. I see diesel trucks all over our area running . If it was running, it wouldn't excuse the thief but, it sure could have been preventable. My son in law had to learn the same lesson after he went into a convenience store for 2 min. Theft is mostly a crime of opportunity and less than smart people present those opportunities.
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Yes Lynn, this was initially reported as a carjacking but upon learning that James left the engine running while he was in the store, the Sheriff announced that this was being classified as "Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle". True enough James made his truck an easy target, and this was his mistake. At that moment he may or may not have realized as much, however resolved that he was not going to become the victim. I can respect that.
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So I get this straight, idiot #1 makes it easy for idiot #2 to make a life (ultimate) changing decision which idiot #1 hastens due to SD Syndrome (small dually?). Some folks will cheer their preferred level of stupidity. I'll choose a different sport.
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