Texas
Bodycam video shows confrontation between U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson and law enforcement
![Bodycam video shows confrontation between U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson and law enforcement Bodycam video shows confrontation between U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson and law enforcement](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/41KsCPeOLFCSugmbZ3PuCj3iLn0=/1200x630/filters:quality(95):focal(0x0:3200x2133)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/773b4baea384fc59011ffc7a997f8634/Jackson%20Screengrab%20TT%2002.jpg)
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Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language.
Newly released video shows U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, being slammed to the ground by police and angrily confronting a state trooper with profanity during a hectic altercation late last month at a rodeo outside Amarillo.
“You are a fucking full-on dick!” Jackson told the trooper after being brought off the ground, according to bodycam footage provided by the Department of Public Safety. “You better recalculate, motherfucker!”
Watch the full bodycam video here.
The DPS trooper, identified in a sheriff’s report as “Trooper Young,” repeatedly told Jackson that multiple people asked him to step aside so EMS could respond to a medical emergency. Jackson, a physician to two presidents, disagreed and continued to confront Young on the sidelines of the event, with bystanders physically restraining Jackson as he lunged toward the trooper, jabbing his finger and yelling profanities.
“I’m gonna call the governor tomorrow and I’m gonna talk to him about this shit because this is fuckin’ ridiculous,” Jackson told Young at one point. “Fuckin’ ridiculous.”
Jackson’s office has insisted that he had been trying to help somebody who needed medical attention and that EMS had not yet arrived when he was summoned to help. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the videos but has emphasized his desire to help amid a chaotic situation and blamed “overly aggressive and incompetent actions” by local authorities.
DPS released the 31-minute bodycam video — and a shorter dashcam video — Monday in response to an open records request from The Texas Tribune. There is no audio during parts of the videos, something DPS acknowledged in a letter to the Tribune without providing a reason. DPS also blurred out images of the person receiving medical care.
The dashcam video provides another angle of Jackson furiously confronting the trooper before leaving the rodeo. The video contains audio of the confrontation, which occurred near the hood of the trooper’s car, but country music drowns out the voices. One of the songs is “Irish Goodbye” by Treaty Oak Revival.
Watch the full dashcam video here.
The videos confirm most of the general narrative of a report released Friday by the local sheriff, Tam Terry of Carson County. However, Jackson in the video — as well as two witnesses — dispute that he was appropriately notified that he needed to back away for EMS.
The report included accounts from multiple officers who responded to the scene late on the night of July 29 at the White Deer Rodeo. Among the claims is that Jackson threatened to beat up the trooper and later in a phone call threatened to go after Terry politically.
Jackson’s office has said he was summoned to help with a medical emergency involving a teenage girl before first responders arrived. He was “briefly detained” amid the chaos and confusion, according to his office.
His office has emphasized he was “not drinking,” though the sheriff’s report challenges that assertion.
In response to the report, a Jackson spokesperson issued a defiant statement saying he was prevented from giving medical care “due to overly aggressive and incompetent actions” by local authorities. The spokesperson, Kate Lair, said Jackson would not apologize for “sparing no effort to help in a medical emergency” in a hectic environment.
About 16 and a half minutes into the bodycam video, Jackson and other people are crouched over the person experiencing the medical emergency when the trooper appears to gesture toward Jackson to get back. Jackson eventually rises up and appears to be confronting the trooper angrily and is then led away from the trooper. Less than a half-minute later, the video shows two officers taking Jackson to the ground and handcuffing him, holding him to the ground with his face down. It is not until 50 seconds later that Jackson is shown standing again. There is no audio during that part.
A short time later, the audio returns and the bodycam video shows Jackson confronting Young, cursing at him and leaning toward him.
“I asked you to get back and you did not get back,” the trooper said.
Their confrontation continues a couple minutes later at a different location. Jackson continued to deny that he repeatedly disobeyed orders to get back, telling Young he was “the first motherfucker” to tell him to do that.
At one point, a man tries to escort Jackson away from the trooper and calm him down.
“Walk with me!” the man said. “Goodness gracious, buddy.”
Jackson refused to walk away and stressed to Young that he “was just trying to help” and is an emergency room doctor. Young said he understood that but added that Jackson needed to listen to his commands.
“I know you’re there to help, right? But I got EMS coming on scene,” Young said to Jackson, who disputed the trooper’s timeline of events. “I said, ‘Hey, we got a car coming.’ Multiple people moved out the way. You came down on your knees and somebody was trying to put something in her mouth that didn’t need to be. We asked not to, right?”
That comment appeared to refer to part of the sheriff’s report that said Jackson tried to care for the patient by putting a gumball in her mouth as a way to elevate blood sugar. Jackson suggested to Young that he did that because she may have been hypoglycemic; Young said she was anemic and Jackson disagreed, telling Young he does not have the medical knowledge to know that.
Jackson eventually leaves the area and gets in a car to depart the rodeo. He continues to yell profanities and can be heard saying, “You fucked up, motherfucker,” as he gets in the car.
Once Jackson is off camera, people around Young can be heard asking who he is. “Someone said he’s a senator,” one said. Young appeared to be unfamiliar with Jackson.
Two witnesses, Chris and Jodi Jordan of Hereford, said they were 5 to 6 feet away from the initial confrontation. They said they do not believe Jackson received adequate notice prior to his apprehension that he needed to back away because EMS was on the way. They said officers “barely missed the concrete” when they took Jackson to the ground.
“From our view, he never saw EMS,” Jodi Jordan said. “He was away from the patient before they showed up on scene.”
The Jordans said they believed Jackson acted responsibly.
“He was simply trying to help someone,” Chris Jordan said.
The incident happened at the White Deer Rodeo, an annual event in a town by the same name about 40 miles northeast of Amarillo. An estimated 4,000 people were in attendance.
Jackson was first elected in 2020 to represent Texas’ 13th Congressional District, a deeply conservative district in the Panhandle. He served as White House doctor for Barack Obama and Donald Trump and remains an ardent supporter of Trump and his 2024 comeback campaign.
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Texas
Summer heat returns to North Texas, limited rain chances next weekend
![Summer heat returns to North Texas, limited rain chances next weekend Summer heat returns to North Texas, limited rain chances next weekend](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/28/66cf2991-734d-4bf2-bed4-b0d4c6ace695/thumbnail/1200x630/588329414d573be34004f0e76415cab0/3.png?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
NORTH TEXAS – First things first, another aftershock hit near Snyder on Saturday afternoon, with the same epicenter depth and a magnitude of 4.5, close to the 5.1 magnitude quake from yesterday. Dozens of smaller aftershocks have also occurred.
As of the 10 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center now reports a medium chance of formation for the tropical wave approaching the Lesser Antilles. Many model projections bring this system relatively close to Cuba and eventually Florida by late week into the weekend. This development will bear watching, as it signals that the Atlantic main development region (MDR) is becoming active again. It has been relatively quiet since Beryl nearly a month ago.
This week, summer heat returns. Heat indices will likely range from 98 to 103 degrees through Monday, increasing slightly by midweek. We could approach heat advisory criteria by midweek. Woohoo.
The upper-level high pressure will build over the southern plains this week before retreating west by next weekend, possibly allowing for some northerly flow on the eastern sides and a chance of rain. We’ll cross our fingers.
The 7-day forecast: not great. Feels like August!
Have a restful weekend!
Texas
Aggies’ Training Camp: What to Watch For As Texas A&M Prepares For 1st Season Under Mike Elko
![Aggies’ Training Camp: What to Watch For As Texas A&M Prepares For 1st Season Under Mike Elko Aggies’ Training Camp: What to Watch For As Texas A&M Prepares For 1st Season Under Mike Elko](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6123,h_3444,x_0,y_70/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/all_aggies/01j3tvj5rwm6bpqd6nna.jpg)
Looking to turn things around this season, the Texas A&M Aggies have the first big hurdle coming up.
Exactly one month prior to kickoff against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Mike Elko and company will suit up for training camp. Hitting the field for the first time of the season will give them the chance to iron out the kinks in their game plan and begin to build chemistry, which will certainly be important to finding success in the new-look SEC.
From a returning quarterback to new coordinators and everything in between, Texas A&M has some work to do before it’ll be ready to kickoff in the fall. If all goes well, the Aggies could see the revival they’ve been hoping for since firing Jimbo Fisher.
But that’s contingent on training camp.
Here are a few things to watch for as Elko’s squad gears up for the year:
Conner Weigman’s 1st Full Season
Standout quarterback Conner Weigman is entering this third season within the Aggies’ program, but he’s played less than one season’s worth of games.
Taking over the starting position late in the season during his freshman year and only getting four games before breaking his foot in his sophomore year has prevented Weigman from truly becoming the quarterback that Texas A&M had hoped he would be. This season, however, that’s set to change.
“He’s healthy now,” Elko said, dispelling any lingering worries of his quarterback’s health. “You’re starting to see that energy. You’re starting to see him really come into himself and, obviously, it’s going to be really important for us to get good at quarterback play this fall.”
Naturally, Weigman will be quintessential to the Aggies’ overall performance next season. In the four games he did start in 2023, he reached nearly 1,000 yards and threw eight touchdowns on a completion percentage near 70.
His talent is unquestionable. The real concern will be whether or not he’ll be able to stay on the field throughout the year.
If a perfect world did exist and Weigman played all 12 games of the regular season the way he did the first four, he would have finished second overall in passing yards and passing touchdowns in the SEC.
Next season’s success can’t be based on hypothetical numbers, but it does say something about the kind of potential Weigman brings to the Aggies. If he can stay healthy, Texas A&M will already be in a much better position than it was one season ago.
Weigman just has to go prove it.
A Scrappy Offensive Line, Among Other Things
Protecting Weigman up front will be a group made up of four returners.
At center will Mark Nabou Jr., joined by Chase Bisontis, Reuben Fatheree II and newcomer Ar’maj Reed-Adams. Leading them is Trey Zuhn III — one of the Aggies’ offensive captains — who will also play a large role in keeping the offense fluid throughout the year.
That was something that Elko preached heavily.
“Our ability to get really talented and really good on the offensive line, as quick as we possibly can, will play a huge role in our ability to be successful on offense,” Elko explained. ”I do know that they will be a much scrappier, much grittier, much tougher group as we move into the fall.”
With Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens returning in the backfield next season, that line up front will have a large responsibility. None of Owens, Daniels and Moss had a true breakout season last year, but with a much stronger passing game, that’s sure to change.
While Weigman opens up the field as a passing threat, the trio of backs for Texas A&M can make its offense a big threat for opposing defenses. And at the forefront of it all?
Zuhn III and his scrappy offensive line.
“We’ve put in a ton of work,” the captain said. “Just having that much experience on the offensive line now, it’s going to be huge. We’ve been able to gel together these past couple of months, working hard, competing against each other in the weight room and on the field.”
Klein & Bateman: 2 New Coordinators
Elko isn’t the only new face on the Aggies’ coaching staff.
After being hired in late November, it didn’t take long for the coach to add new offensive and defensive coordinators. With Bobby Petrino now back with his Arkansas Razorbacks and D.J. Durkin set to assume the same role with the Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M was in need of new leadership.
The result? Collin Klein on offense and Jay Bateman on defense.
After spending ample time with the Kansas State Wildcats, Klein brings with him experience and an easy-to-work-with personality that ultimately drew Elko to hiring him to head of the Aggies’ offense in its quest to build upon previous seasons instead of starting from scratch.
“Collin brings an innovative mind,” Elko said of his new offensive coordinator. “I think the thing that really drew me to Collin was his knowledge of the game of football, his intelligence level and understanding how to attack defenses.”
As for Bateman, he’s been around the SEC — most recently with Billy Napier in Florida — and knows what it takes to compete in arguably the toughest conference in college football. Texas A&M has a history with a strong defensive unit, so the pressure is certainly on for him as well.
Since Elko and his staff have arrived in College Station, the change in culture has been made clear by the program. Players are “where they’re supposed to be” and are “more receptive” to leadership as it comes from multiple fronts.
Obviously, there is more to be done before that culture shift can impact the result on the field, but the Aggies are in a good place. After all, two new coordinators and a much better attitude?
On paper, it sounds like a recipe for success.
Texas
Former All-Star Potential Trade Target for Texas Rangers
![Former All-Star Potential Trade Target for Texas Rangers Former All-Star Potential Trade Target for Texas Rangers](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3994,h_2246,x_0,y_227/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_rangers/01j3t375n8t4v9k5sn4s.jpg)
It’s not as if the Texas Rangers have major holes in the lineup that need to be plugged before the trade deadline. That wasn’t the case last season.
The Rangers made serious additions in 2023, especially on the pitching side. The club brought in top-flight starters in Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery shortly before the deadline after an early trade for reliever Aroldis Chapman.
Health and depth might be the biggest needs for defending World Series champions in 2024. The Rangers are still waiting on slew of pitchers to return, including Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Cody Bradford. Third baseman Josh Jung is closer to coming back, while the status of outfielder Evan Carter is somewhat murky.
The overriding theme is time, as the Rangers for a considerable infusion of talent once they get healthy. In the meantime, with the trade deadline looming, Texas can make some moves to address depth in the race to chase down the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
A recent report from MLB.com suggested that the Rangers should get help behind catcher Jonah Heim.
Rangers catchers have the fourth-lowest OPS in the Majors (.597), and while Jonah Heim is locked in as the starter, adding a second backstop to pick up some of the load would benefit Texas as it tries to chase down the Astros and Mariners in the AL West.
– MLB.com
Colorado Rockies backstop Elias Díaz was listed as a possible fit. With the Rockies out of contention and in a “sell” position, unloading the veteran catcher and his $6 million contract makes sense. Díaz is a solid hitter (.270/.329/.724) and defender who could take some of the load off Heim during the stretch run, much as Mitch Garver did last season.
Díaz was an All-Star in 2023 and was named the game’s MVP after hitting a home run in the eighth inning.
The trade deadline is July 30.
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and X.
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