Monday, September 3, 2007
UPDATED x4: Sorta’s Carter Albrecht killed in shooting incident
Updated 10:56 a.m., September 5, 2007
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DALLAS — Local homeowner Bill Logg shot and killed local musician Carter Albrecht early Monday morning. Albrecht, who had been next door at his girlfriend's house, was trying to kick the door in and Logg fired a fatal "warning shot." Below is the story as it has developed since Monday.
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A homeowner in the 9000 block of Santa Clara Drive in east Dallas mistook his neighbor, whom sources say was Sorta and New Bohemians guitarist Carter Albrecht, for an intruder and shot him dead.
Police said that the victim, whom band sources have told us was Albrecht, 34, had been in a domestic disturbance at his home before going to at a neighbor's house, where he was described as kicking and banging on the door. The homeowner fired through the door, then learned from police that the victim was his neighbor.
The police haven't identified Albrecht as the victim in this case but Sorta bassist Danny Balis reluctantly confirmed that Albrecht had been shot and killed.
We heard from a couple proprietors of local music venues this morning expressing their sadness and disbelief at the loss of one of the area's better-known musicians.
UPDATE: Over at Unfair Park, Wilonsky has more details from the police -- notably that it sounds like the shooter was trying to scare Carter off with a warning shot as Carter was trying to kick the door in.
UPDATE (Tuesday AM): Bandmate / roommate Danny Balis suggests that Carter's uncharacteristic behavior may have been a reaction to the anti-smoking drug Chantix. And Dallas police are still investigating whether the shooter, now identified as Bill Logg, should have been able to see "the intruder" clearly enough to hold his fire or at least miss.
Funeral services are at Parkway Hill Baptist Church on Friday at 2 p.m.
CBS 11: Carter Albrecht
UPDATE (Wednesday): Police say they are not charging the homeowner.
CBS 11: Police not charging homeowner
News, blogs and tributes on Carter Albrecht
Posted by T.G.; Updated by Mike
Related stories
- Sorta to hold release party for new CD at House of Blues on Thursday (Oct. 21, 2008)
- 2007 Remembrances (Dec. 28, 2007)
- UPDATED: FDA to investigate Chantix anti-smoking drug that Dallas musician Carter Albrecht took (Dec. 14, 2007)
- Rahim Quazi releases Carter Albrecht tribute song (Sept. 27, 2007)
- Dallas musician Carter Albrecht’s girlfriend warns of drug’s effects (Sept. 18, 2007)
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Comments
Bill Holston Verified
very sad news, my heart goes out to Carter's family and friends.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Clay213 Anonymous
Is that southern hospitality?
Shoot first ask questions later I guess. I hope the shooter doesn't get away with this.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Confirmed that this was the shooting in which Carter was killed:
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfai...
Currently classified a homicide.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
clay Anonymous
i cant believe this
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
eastside Anonymous
WHAT!!!!???
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Miller Verified
Oh man.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Danny Balis posted some additional info about the circumstances Sunday night on MySpace. I can't find the original post, but SaMach has it in in its entirety:
http://samred.com/bigdlittled/2007/09...
The upshot is that the Carter everyone knew wouldn't have done something like this and that he was having troubles with the prescription anti-smoking drug Chantix.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Err... Actually Sam only had part of Danny's post. Unfair Park has the rest:
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfai...
The closing bit is moving:
he meant the world to me. i will never see him again on this earth, and i am heartbroken from it. i can't think about tomorrow because he is supposed to be there. he is supposed to be playing his piano in the dining room, or watching the rangers while eating some crap from a greenville fast-food place. we are supposed to talk about the goofy stuff that happened on the hardline that day. we are supposed to talk about books (usually a one-sided conversation with me on the short side) and the mavs and girls and music.
but my best friend isn't here anymore. and i honestly don't know what to do.
i guess the only thing left to do, is let everyone in on something you may not have known. carter was a very intelligent guy. smart as hell. borderline genius. so my final dig on my buddy is this...the last movie he watched was "snakes on a plane". well, to his credit, he didn't watch all of it. love you, buddy.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Liles Anonymous
I had the pleasure of knowing Carter Albrecht for over ten years, and he was simply one of the most talented and charismatic people that I have ever met.
Last year, I had the pleasure of attending Edie's surprise 40th birthday party over the course of a weekend in NYC. On our last night there, I spent time hanging out on the roof of her building with Carter and our close friend Mark Durham. I had no idea that it would be the last time I would ever see either one of them alive. Mark was killed in an auto accident in Maui a couple of months later, and now Carter is gone as well.
Life is precious. We can't take this delicate experience for granted. Carter and Mark were both the type of people who were very intelligent and strong. My heart goes out to Carter's family and extended family of musicians and friends. This is simply an astounding loss for the Dallas creative community.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
re: Chantix...
I recalled that my stepmother was on a new anti-smoking drug and asked my Dad about it. His response below:
Yes that was the drug. It's pretty new drug.....some of the side effects include, sleeplessness, vivid dreams to point of seeming real, and of course the classic nausea, diarrhea or constipation, headaches, on and on. She did pretty good at first on the low dose, when she started the next series where they gradually up the dosage every couple weeks, she started having all kinds of problems. Eventually had to quit taking it. Her allergist has written her another prescription for it at the low dose and wants her to try and quit only using that dosage. She could not stay on the higher dose cause she threw up all her other meds, she was on and it was screwing everything up.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
This weekend's Adventure Club will be dedicated to Carter. Says Josh:
Carter Albrecht from Sparrows, Sorta and New Bohemians was killed early yesterday. He was a very nice person and amazingly talented. We’ll be dedicating Center Stage to him on Sunday at 6:30P on the Adv Club. We’ll also be giving away as many copies of Sorta and Sparrows cds as I can get my hands on. He’ll be missed.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Teresa Gubbins Staff
while we've all reported the heck out of the carter albrecht story in dallas, they haven't dropped it yet in new york: the Times has a story today saying that the FDA has pledged to look into the role that chantix played in his death
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
The Star-T interviews friends and family of the shooter, also a musician:
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/sto...
I'm gonna assume some of the quotes are out of context, 'cos otherwise these friends and family must really want to piss off those who cared about Carter.
But both his mother and his bandmate said they are tired of hearing Albrecht's friends talk about his talent and his music career, but not about Logg and the grief he will suffer.
???
And:
"I'm just thankful that he was there. What if that man had gone after his wife?"
Wow. I'm nearly speechless. You might even think that at this point, but you sure don't say it -- certainly not before the funeral.
Only those who were there know what it was really like, but if the Logg camp doesn't think that Bill should be treated as the bad guy in this story really should think twice about statements like this.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Amanda Newman Verified
I can assure you that everyone I've spoken to has not villianized Mr. Logg. Quite the contrary, they're still mourning the loss of a friend.
And correct me if I'm wrong but the only fingers even remotely thinking of pointing at a 'bad guy' are the fingers pointing in the direction of Chantix, not Mr. Logg.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
bluesdfw Anonymous
You're wrong Amanda. Just look at some of the articles and blogs just above your post.
There is no "Logg camp". There is only common sense. It shows up in both the Star Telegram and the Dallas Morning News today, for the first time since the incident.
The homeowner is a victim, too. While the news media (and this site) have written and televised volumes about what a great guy Carter was, his creativity, his loss to the community, little attention has been focused on the actual events of the evening. The beating of the girlfriend. The violent attack on a neighbor's home at 4 am.
It is a horrible tragedy that someone had to die. It is also a horrible tragedy that the girlfriend was beaten and some innocent homeowners were terrorized in the middle of the night.
No matter what the cause, on that night, that was not the Carter everyone knew. He was a drunk violent individual that assaulted someone he loved, and when he couldn't get at her anymore, went looking for someone else to hurt. He was unsuccessful.
I hope and pray that none of you are ever awakened at 4 am by a drunk, violent individual trying to break into your home. I really do.
Here's the Morning News piece: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedconte...
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Miller Verified
I realize it's kind of pointless to even say it now, but it's just too bad Mr Logg didn't have a big dog. From everything I've read I assume he didn't.
I read the DMN column today and while I wouldn't necessarily blame the neighbor or assume he's some trigger happy gun nut, I disagree with her statement that it's not about The Texas gun culture. In a less gun saturated society this most likely wouldn't have ended this way.
And her implied defense of big pharma is kind of iffy too. If it turns out that Chantrix has to be pulled from the market (and aren't most new drugs pulled from the market after a few years?), then I think it would be safe to say guns and drugs are precisely to blame.
Of course it's too late at this point to do anything about all the guns but it might make people take a closer look at fast tracking drugs for anything short of seriously terminal conditions through the FDA screening process just because there's money to be made.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
bluesdfw Anonymous
Here's 2 comments posted on a video of Mr. Logg I have on youtube. I have now disabled comments there. It shows you exactly what this kind of irresponsible journalism can lead to. The poster is someone named "imjonzintoo".
" The guy playing guitar is a murder and the guy playing the harmonica is an a-hole."
"Will Smokey Logg shot and killed Carter Albrecht and he is trying to blame it all on Carter, when the reality is that this guy is an irrespoonsible gun owner who shot through the window. What if that bullet didn't hit Carter in the head and hit a sleeping gilr in bed in the house behind his in the residential neighborhood. Will Logg is a murder if not a complete idiot for firing shots in to the air when he had the police on the phone."
Will isn't saying anything, to anyone. He is terribly saddened by the whole ordeal and just wants to get his normal life back. Unfortunately, the mostly one-sided take on this incident by the local and national media will only lead to more insane comments by folks like imjonzintoo.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
bluesdfw:
I agree that the comments made by these folks are unfortunate -- and if I was unclear before, I'm not in agreement with the sort of people posting on your YouTube page.
But, this is an unfortunate test case of the Texas law that allows (if not encourages) this sort of no-fault shooting. I believe in defending ones' home, but I question whether this case -- with the aggressor/victim outside -- warrants a fatal shooting. That said, I wasn't there and don't know for sure what the danger level or perceived danger level might have been.
I don't bear Logg any ill will, but his decision to not say anything is not going to help stave off this sort of negative reaction. And the things his friends and relatives said in the Star-T article, however they were actually meant, come across as insensitive and cold in the face of a sad death.
If he decides he wishes to say anything, we'd provide him a forum to do so unedited. The best way to stop one-sided coverage is to provide another side.
One additional note for folks who aren't regulars to this site and who may come upon this discussion -- we won't tolerate hate speech here, and anything that smacks of threatening to the parties involved will be removed promptly.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
bluesdfw Anonymous
So, you're blaming the one sided coverage on his refusal to give you and others content? Interesting. So now the accused must come forth to be tried in the court of the media? Is that the way it's supposed to work now?
So has anyone at Pegasus News actually viewed the police reports? Those are the official record.
As far as being a test case. All Mr. Logg wanted to do was sleep in his own home without anyone breaking his back door down at 4am. That's all. I think we all want that. He didn't WANT to shoot anyone. In a few seconds, his life is totally turned upside down, and all he was doing was sleeping in his own bed. Oh, but if he won't give you his story for you to publish, then it's his own fault if it is a one sided story.
This is a sad, tragic incident that culminated in the loss of a precious life. However it is also a classic example of just how poor journalism has become. Yes, it is a test case, of sorts, and the media has failed horribly.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
bluesdfw:
You do bring up some fair points -- and I'll respond to them at length tomorrow in a separate blog post that I'll link to here. I'll agree that we and all media outlets in town and around the country could have done a better job, but I think that examination is meant for a separate thread.
Meantime, CBS 11 has an interview with Carter Albrecht's parents, who also agree with some of your thoughts on the situation that William Logg found thrust upon him Monday morning.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
brdplya1 Anonymous
If this guy was like any of the other home invaders in Dallas and was killed this would be a non story and the shooter would be hailed as a hero and protector of his wife...wow....Did the girlfriend call the police after the beating or any of his many "friends" to try to talk to this guy.....sad situation...but you hear all the time about people committing crimes and their loved ones saying that it wasn't like them to do it....I'm sure he was a great guy.I'm sending a prayer out for both parties.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Part 2 of the CBS 11 interview. Nearly 10 minutes, all with Carter's mom:
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Amanda Newman Verified
Mike,
Thanks for posting both videos. Its the most comprehensive example of what I was trying to say in my earlier post.
Again, I haven't spoken to anyone, privately or at either of the two memorials this week, including last night's, that have expressed ill will towards Mr. Logg.
I think if anyone watches Channel 11's two-part interview with Carter's mom and dad, they'll know that his family did an excellent job of articulating how badly everyone feels for everyone involved.
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
txhoop Anonymous
I just read all of the above. I think we all now agree what a freak incident this all was. A lesson to us all is to watch how a new drug may effect us.
The loss of Carter is HUGE.
Anyone who knows Will Smokey Logg knows he is a good heart and no doubt he is in major turmoil. Our hearts go out to Carter's family and friends as well as Will and his family and friends.
Hoop
1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Toxicology report: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/a...
1 year, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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