Introducing 'Forsaken'
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Introducing a new series from The Drag: "." "Forsaken" is a series that explores the systems that both enhance and oppress the lives of the more than 29 million people living in Texas. Each episode will address issues that Texans face each day – the good and the bad. We’ll explore the criminal justice system, Texas politics, civil rights, social issues and even a little bit of history. Texas is the second-most diverse state in the nation and has equally diverse stories to tell. As the legendary late Texas singer Billy Joe Shaver sings: “You fathers and you mothers / Be good to one...
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'These people need closure' | The UT Tower Sniper
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Fifty years after the shooting, survivors, heroes and their families return to Austin. A committee pushes for a better memorial for the victims. Some testify at the Texas Legislature, trying to stop a law allowing guns on campuses.
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Bonus: 'Can you feel safe anywhere?' | The UT Tower Sniper
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College students discuss their experiences growing up with school shooting drills and the constant fear of a shooter. Host Sara Kinney and a March for Our Lives representative go over the state of gun legislation today.
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'It's a bleak part of our existence' | The UT Tower Sniper
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Forty-four years after the Tower shootings, another shooting occurs on the University of Texas campus. Survivors continue their lives while gun violence grows as a hot-button political issue. The physical wounds begin to heal, but the emotional ones remain.
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'A loss that cannot be measured' | The UT Tower Sniper
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The shooting becomes national news. Students return to classes a few days later. Law enforcement continues its investigation. An autopsy is performed on the sniper. A police officer is laid to rest. Victims start their road to recovery.
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'A state of shock' | The UT Tower Sniper
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Ninety-six minutes after the shooting began, the sniper is dead. Everyone nearby converges on campus. Law enforcement and journalists work to identify the dead. Hospitals struggle with the influx of patients. Friends and families mourn their loved ones.
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'I had enough' | The UT Tower Sniper
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More law enforcement officers swarm campus and join the efforts to stop the shooter. In the tower, a chaotic situation unfolds as a handful of officers and civilians make their way to the observation deck and exchange fire with the sniper.
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'Time is ticking' | The UT Tower Sniper
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A police officer assigned to divert traffic from the campus area decides to head into the action. The bookstore employee heads toward the tower and teams up with law enforcement. Together, they hatch a plan to stop the sniper.
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'It's like a battle scene' | The UT Tower Sniper
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The shooting continues along The Drag, a nearby street full of shops and restaurants. An employee of the university bookstore helps a wounded boy. More people join the rescue efforts. Students eating lunch and shopping take cover or run to safety. Police officers, students, and others get their guns and begin firing back at the sniper.
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'Like I was being electrocuted' | The UT Tower Sniper
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The sniper opens fire on the University of Texas campus and the surrounding area. He shoots a pregnant woman, leaving her on hot concrete in the middle of the gunfire. A local radio reporter heads to the scene. Students in a Shakespeare class watch out the window as a police officer is shot.
info_outlineOn a quiet suburban street in northeast Austin, 39-year-old father and husband Stephan House prepares to go to work. He spots a package on his porch. The box explodes in his hands. His neighbor runs to his porch and tries to help the bleeding man as he talks to a 911 operator, but there’s nothing he can do. In the aftermath, the Austin police tell the public that the bombing seems to be an isolated incident and that there is no cause for alarm.