We had reports this afternoon of a gunman up near the North Dallas Forty, at 5500 North Forty Place, who kept DPD and SWAT teams busy this afternoon while he apparently shot at propane tanks. Police tell me the man lived in the area: not sure if he lives right in the North Dallas Forty or nearby. Here’s what Robert Wilonsky reported over at the Dallas Morning News:
The man — who Geron says is wearing a blue shirt and a white bandana or towel around his head — appears to be armed with an AK-47, he set off a smoke bomb and, according to a police report, he’s “shooting off propane tanks.” Police say he called 911 to say he was part of the sovereign citizen movement.
Good Lord! There was an apparent grass fire up there, and a fire truck was trying to put it out, when fire-rescue authorities at work heard the shots. They said the gunman was not firing at them. The North Dallas Forty or North 40 Place as I have also heard it called, is a gated, heavily wooded area of multi-million dollar homes right off Frankford Road, between Preston and the Dallas North Tollway. The address was given out as 5500 North 40 Place, which could be right next to the M Mansion at 5540. As you may recall, the M Mansion was auctioned off last year to a Preston Hollow family for $4.5 million. It sits on 3.2 acres of land, and most of the homes up there sit on considerable acreage. So you can see why police had to hunt a bit for this gunman. For awhile this afternoon Frankford Road was completely shut down between Preston and the North Dallas Tollway. According to the News, the gunman was apprehended and taken into custody shortly before 5 p.m.
The North Dallas Forty is an enclave of estates off Frankford Road, very wooded, secluded and private. The area has a casual gate and security code to get in, so you get a almost a ranch-y feel. The M Mansion was owned by Flora Mascolo, widow of designer Guy Mascolo, one of the founders of the Toni & Guy Hair Salon chain, with U.S. operations based in Carrollton. It was auctioned off September 19, 2013 by Concierge Auctions.
The 15,074-square-foot mansion has nine-bedrooms, 12-baths and is on 3.29 acres of land, and includes luxe amenities such as an outdoor oasis, multiple gardens (one secret), pool and spa and even an acrylic-fenced soccer field where my son was married a few years ago.
In very sad news, a Frisco couple were found dead in their home early this morning of apparent gunshot wounds. Their 16 year old son is being held for the murder at the Collin County Juvenile Justice Center, charged with two counts of murder. Dear Lord. The couple, according to public records, are Ryan and Maria Callens who owned the property at 12400 Shepherd’s Hill Lane. Both were in their late ’40’s and apparently home-schooled the youth. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this dreadful story in the next few days.
“It is a family scenario,” said LaPrelle. “This is an isolated incident with this one house.”
A teen who knows the boy who was arrested says the 16-year-old was home-schooled and had very strict parents.
“He was very sheltered,” said Jonathon Marcum, 15. “If he broke the guidelines, he got punished.”
Jonathon said PG-13 movies were edited to remove the violence before he could see them. The teen wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies at all. His Internet activities were heavily restricted.
The teen has two brothers and two sisters.
