Garland police identify woman set on fire, critically injured in Sunday robbery
This morning just after 7:00 am officers were responding to an alarm in the 3300 block of Broadway Boulevard. While on the call one of the officers looked across the street and thought he saw a flash of fire inside the Fina station just across the intersection of Broadway and Colonel Drive. Both officers drove to the station and as they were pulling up they saw a female step outside who was on fire. One of the officers grabbed the fire extinguisher from his car and began spraying her and put out the fire. The lady was still standing and was able to tell officers she had just been robbed and the suspect doused her with a liquid and set her on fire. She was also able to give a basic description of the suspect.
Garland Fire Paramedics responded and transported the 76 year old female of Garland to Parkland Memorial Hospital where she is listed in critical condition with burns over 40% of her body.
Shortly after officers responded to the fire, dispatch operators began receiving calls of a man trying to break into houses in the residential area behind the Fina station. Additional officers responded to the area of the calls and located the man and took him into custody for robbery of an individual at his home. Police detectives now believe the same man is responsible for the robbery of the Fina station and setting the 76 year old woman on fire. The suspect is identified as 36 year old Matthew Lee Johnson of Garland [mugshot pictured]. Johnson is facing at least two charges, Robbery and Criminal Attempt Capital Murder.
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2012...-robbery.html/
I just checked the Dallas County Jail log and the charge has been changed to CAPITAL MURDER BY TERROR THREAT/OTHER FELONY so it seems like Nancy Harris has passed away. So sad.
Harris’s neighbors said they were shocked by the brutality of the attack on a selfless woman who kept a close eye on her neighborhood.
“I can’t understand why someone, some idiot, would do this to her,” said Margaret Tatum, 70, who lives a few houses down from Harris in the neighborhood just a few blocks from the crime scene.
“I know she’s in a lot of pain,” Tatum said. “I can feel that pain here,” she said as she pointed to her heart.
“I’ve been crying all morning,” Tatum said. “I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Another neighbor, Jim Bertucci, 62, said Harris always seemed to remember little details about everyone and what was going on in their lives.
“She was the kind of friend that, you know, you may not see them and then when you see them … It’s like we never missed a beat,” Bertucci said.
“To rob somebody, that’s one thing,” Bertucci said. “But To throw gas on them and light them — my God, that’s terrible. I wouldn’t do that to a lump of coal.”
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2012...-robbery.html/
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