KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The National Weather Service in Shreveport Monday reported a record number of tornado warnings in their storm coverage area, including East Texas. According to our new partner KETK, 67 tornado warnings were issued due to tropical storm Beryl moving up from the Texas coast.

NWS Shreveport said that the amount of tornado warnings Monday “are further proof that inland tropical impacts can also be quite extreme.”

Before Monday, the most tornado warnings in a day for the area was recorded on Dec. 27, 2015 with 36 tornado warnings.

TYLER – The 2024 BMW of Tyler Patriot Golf Classic raised $126,900 that will go toward student scholarships at the University of Texas at Tyler. According to our news partner KETK, the golf tournament has been one of the university’s largest fundraising events since 1986, having raised a total of nearly $3 million.

UT Tyler President Julie Philley said in a release, “The money raised from this event will help our deserving students attain their academic goals. We are grateful to our community partners for their continued support.”

JACKSONVILLE – A man is injured after a shooting early Tuesday morning in Jacksonville. According to our colleagues at KETK, police received a call about a shooting in the 700 block of Elm Street around 6:56 a.m. where they found a man with a gunshot wound. “The Jacksonville Police Department has identified the shooter and are working diligently towards apprehending the suspect,” authorities said. Jacksonville PD, Fire and EMS responded to the scene.

EAST TEXAS — Tyler Police Department 911 phone lines are down, according to a press release early Tuesday morning. Verizon has reportedly advised they have experienced outages due to recent storms. Smith County dispatch will be answering 911calls from within the city limits.  Alt numbers are 903-939-6001 or 903-566-6600.

In Longview, police say they are experiencing issues with their non-emergency lines for Verizon and T-Mobile customers only. Those who attempt to call will hear a busy signal. Officials said those affected should consider “delaying your call if possible,” but if it is an emergency, to dial 911.The system is reportedly working properly for all other providers and landline users.
Continue reading 911 phone lines down in multiple East Texas locations

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, a 19-year-old killed in a July 4 fatal shooting in Tyler was shot with an AK-47 style rifle after his friends car made a U-turn behind Bautista Auto, an arrest affidavit showed. The affidavit describes how Rawly Sanchez, 19, and his friends had to do a U-turn when they realized Old Gladewater Highway wouldn’t take them to Montgomery Gardens. When they turned behind Bautista Auto the driver reported seeing a person in a building with an AK-47-style rifle who started shooting at them.

Rawly was hit by the rifle and his friends took him to be treated at a local hospital where he died. Around the same time a Tyler Police Department officer was driving by Bautista Auto when he saw white Ford Explorer with bullet holes in the side. When the officer came back later the Ford was gone and then Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene. Continue reading Tyler shooting victim shot with AK-47

TYLER – City of Tyler officials say that 10 roadways have downed powerlines or trees blocking them and people are asked to avoid these areas. According to our news partner KETK, these roads or intersections have one lane closed:

West 8th Street and South College Avenue
North Parkdale Drive and Lynn Drive
Belvedere Boulevard and Woodlawn Street
Shiloh Road and Paluxy Drive
Woodland Hills Drive and Cloverdale Drive
Woodland Hills Drive and Peggy Place
Amy Lane and Gail Lane
1903 N. Forest Ave.
320 S. Vine Ave.
421 W. Harpole St.

To contact the Streets Department to report flooded streets, potholes, sinkholes and downed trees, residents can call 903-531-1393 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also report these type of issues on the MyTyler app. In all cases, the city asks residents to watch for repair crews and to please drive accordingly.

LONGVIEW — Officials are searching for a Longview man who was reported missing on Sunday. According to our news partner KETK, missing 29-year old Stoney Johnson. Longview PD describes Johnson as 5 foot 9 inches, weighs around 150 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. Johnson is thought to be driving a gray 2012 Ford Fusion with Texas license plate NNB7232. Anyone with information on Stoney Johnson’s location is asked to contact Longview PD at 903-237-1199.

TYLER – Due to Tropical Storm Beryl moving up from the Texas coast Monday, Tyler city officials ask residents to avoid non-essential driving and to be weather aware. If you must drive, slow down and know your surroundings. Because of storm activity, there may be downed power lines and trees. And, with the heavy rainfall, if you encounter water over the roadways, turn around. In some cases, you may find traffic signals without power. Remember, these are to be treated as four-way stops.

With power outages occurring, the city is making cooling and charging centers available at these locations: Tyler Public Library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Continue reading City of Tyler urges residents to avoid non-essential travel

LOVELADY –  Gustavo Zavala-Garcia, 31, who was sentenced to life in prison for the 2016 murder of 10-year-old Kayla Gomez in Bullard, has committed suicide, according to our news partner KETK. On July 2, Zavala-Garcia was found unresponsive at the J. Dale Wainwright state prison in Lovelady and life-saving measures were conducted. EMS was called to the scene and life-saving measures proved unsuccessful. Zavala-Garcia was declared dead at 5:43 p.m., an in custody death report shows. According to that report Zavala-Garcia’s means of death was hanging/strangulation caused by a homemade ligature.

Kayla Gomez went missing from Bullard First Assembly Church in November of 2016 and was found dead a few days later outside Zavalla’s home.

Zavalla avoided the death penalty by taking a plea deal to get life in prison without the chance of parole.

RUSK COUNTY – One person is dead after a two-car crash in in the Wright City area in Rusk County near the Smith County line according to our partners at KETK. The crash happened on Monday at State Highway 64 and FM 15. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office has shut down the road as of 2:10 p.m. while they work the scene.

TYLER – About 70,210 customers are without power in East Texas as of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday in the aftermath of tropical storm Beryl. Our news partner KETK has a list of East Texas counties and electric cooperatives affected. You can find the list here.

NEW BOSTON – The New Boston Police Department is searching for a suspect in connection to a shooting that left one victim dead and another in critical condition on Saturday. According to our news partner KETK, officers responded to a reported shooting in the 300 block of N. Lindsey St. around 5:42 p.m. on Saturday. When New Boston PD officers got to the scene they found one victim who had been shot in the lower chest and back and another victim who was shot in the right shoulder and upper chest. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the other is in critical condition at a local hospital, according to a New Boston PD press release.

According to the press release, officials have already detained one person in connection to the shooting and now they’re searching for another. Continue reading Man wanted after New Boston fatal shooting

TYLER — FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers will be closed across Texas on Monday as Hurricane Beryl makes landfall, FEMA Region 6 announced. According to our news partner KETK, FEMA centers like the one at the Hub in Smith County were initially set up to help people recover from severe weather that hit East Texas in April.

The centers will re-open on Tuesday, July 9. To learn more, click here.