Suspect in Triple Slaying Kills Self After Standoff: Police Say Man Fatally Shot Wife, 2 Children

Oct 13, 10:04 AM

Current Headlines: By Holly Yan and Debra Dennis, The Dallas Morning News

Oct. 13--A man believed to have fatally shot his wife and two of her children killed himself Friday night after driving his car into Lake Arlington with police in pursuit.

Police had earlier surrounded the man in the 3300 block of Carter Drive in East Arlington for more than six hours before he unexpectedly fled.

Police sealed off an area surrounding the 3300 block of Carter Drive, and shotgun-wielding officers crouched behind squad cars. The man, believed to be armed with a handgun, had parked in a driveway and remained inside a vehicle.

Police evacuated three blocks of houses, and nearby Lynn Hale Elementary was placed in lockdown. Children were eventually allowed to leave from the back of the building and were escorted by police about 300 yards to their parents, Arlington schools spokeswoman Veronica Sopher said.

Authorities did not immediately identify the man, but Tarrant County property records and a baby sitter for the children identified him as Arthur Jackson, 32, of Fort Worth. The dead woman is believed to be his wife of three years, Lisa Jackson, 36. The dead children are believed to be Ms. Jackson's children from a previous relationship -- Tyson Adams, 7 and Jaelynn Ford, 13.

Fort Worth police Lt. Dan Draper said the incident began about noon Friday when a man dropped a 3-year-old girl off at Mayfield Road Baptist Church in Arlington. The girl was covered in blood but was uninjured. The man told people at the church he had committed a crime in Fort Worth, and police were called.

The 3-year-old was identified as Ariana Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson's only child together.

"The wife of his first cousin works at the day-care center at the church," said John Hall, news director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. "He dropped the baby off with her."

A woman who answered the door at the church Friday said no one was available to comment and that the girl was no longer at the church.

Arlington police spokesman Lt. Blake Miller said police received information that the man was headed toward Carter Drive.

"We were just working a call of a man dropping off a child at the church. ... I'm not aware of why [he chose] this location," he said.

When the man stopped on Carter Drive, he refused to get out of his vehicle, Lt. Miller said. The SWAT team responded, along with the department's new armored personnel carrier.

"The suspect stated he had just killed some people and he was going to kill some more," said Christy Gilfour, Arlington police spokeswoman.

The two sides continued communicating into the night several ways, mainly by cellphone.

"It's been a good negotiation," Arlington police Lt. Miller said. "He's been willing to talk to us."

Meanwhile, Fort Worth police spent Friday trying to figure what led to the violence they found at a home in the 2100 block of Mims Street. There, authorities found the bodies of Ms. Jackson, a pharmacist, and her children.

Fort Worth police said they had been called to the home twice in the past month -- once in September by Mr. Jackson, who said he feared the children were home alone, and a second time Oct. 5 by his wife, who said her estranged husband was ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door.

Neighbor Kaye Miles said she was acquainted with the parents but knew the children better because they were often outside playing ball or riding their bikes.

"I knew them because they were good kids," Ms. Miles said. "If I was outside, they would wave and come by and talk to me."

Ms. Miles said she knew of no disturbances at the home and said the street was generally quiet.

"This really upsets me to think that those children had to lose their life because an adult couldn't take care of his life," she said.

But Joyce Knight of Fort Worth, who said she began baby-sitting all three children in August of last year, knew trouble was brewing. She said Ms. Jackson was a private person, but about two weeks ago she asked Ms. Knight whether she knew the name of a lawyer because she planned to get a divorce.

Ms. Knight called Ms. Jackson a great caretaker for her children.

"Their mother, Lisa -- you couldn't ask for a better parent," Ms. Knight said. "I don't know what went wrong."

-----

To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, The Dallas Morning News

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.