Chaos Unleashed: Amarillo Gripped by Eerie Fluctuations of Shootings, From Silence to Simultaneous Violence

What is up with Amarillo?  It's almost as if it gets tired of crime and there will be a lull and then boom, it hits all at once.

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That is what happens with shootings in Amarillo.  We can't just have one, when they occur they occur multiple times and then it calms for a bit.  Then, bang, bang, bang.  One right after the other.  That seemed to happen in Amarillo over the weekend, where multiple shootings occurred and one included an officer-involved shooting.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, July 19th at 12:54 am.  Amarillo Police officers responded to a shooting at a local shopping center located at 4515 S. Georgia.  A party had been taking place at an events center located in the shopping center.  Upon arrival, APD officers found a shooting had occurred and multiple people were injured.

A fight had broken out among the attendees of the party.  Someone started shooting and 7 people were injured.  One person died at the scene while 6 other victims were taken to local emergency rooms.  Another victim died at a local hospital due to their injuries.  The other 5 victims suffered various injuries and are expected to recover.

The deceased were identified as Semagea D. Smith, a 32-year-old male, and Dequincton T. Taylor, a 28-year-old male.

The Amarillo Police Homicide Unit is still investigating and no arrests have been made at this time.

As if two deaths from shootings weren't enough for Amarillo. Later in the day...

On Sunday, July 19th at 8:19 pm, an Amarillo Police Officer was conducting a traffic stop near 36th and 9th Avenue.

The license plate on the vehicle did not match the vehicle it was registered two.  Upon observation, the officer saw that three people were inside the vehicle so they requested backup to assist with the stop.  APD officers removed the driver from the car, while another officer was speaking with the passenger in the back seat.  During the conversation, the back-seat passenger exited the vehicle and pointed a gun at the officers.  The officers fired, striking the suspect. He died at the scene  The front-seat passenger was also struck during the gunfire.  She was transported to a local hospital where she later died from the injuries.

The deceased suspect was identified as Andrew Scott Norton, a 32-year-old male, and the email passenger was identified as Isidra Clara Castillo, a 38-year-old female.

The incident is still under investigation by the Amarillo Police Department Homicide Unit.

Four lives were extinguished over the weekend, and multiple injuries and countless families were devastated all because multiple people thought it was a good idea to pull a gun.

It's not worth it.  What was it for?  Someone got mad and wanted to show another person how tough they were, another didn't want to go to jail.  The loss of life and devastation was not worth it.

C'mon Amarillo we can do better.  Enough with the shootings.