Carolina Killer Shot Dead

(Dallas, North Carolina) Notorious Gaffney, SC, serial killer, Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, was shot dead by police yesterday outside the small community of Dallas, west of Charlotte. Burris was a probation violator with a long criminal record.

Burris' death brought to an end the killing spree that began with the June 27 shooting death of Cowpens peach farmer Kline Cash, 63. Items taken from Cash's home were in Burris' possession, Blanton said.

More than 200 law enforcement officers and support staffers worked day and night in search of the killer as he claimed four more victims in less than a week.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said he became angry when he saw that Burris' rap sheet extended about 25 pages and included crimes from Maryland to Florida.

“At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this individual was out on the street,” Lloyd said. “We owe that to the victims in this case. We owe that to the citizens who lived in terror for days.”

One might suggest that there is a problem with the parole system.