COLUMBIA - After investigators confirmed that Patrick Tracy Burris, who was shot by North Carolina police early Monday, was the man responsible for five murders in Gaffney, South Carolina Law Enforcement Chief Reggie Lloyd held up Burris' rap sheet in front of television cameras.
"Folks, look at this! This is like 25 pages," he said. "At some point, the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this individual was out on the street."
Burris had convictions in Florida, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina for everything from forgery to armed robbery. He had been released from prison in North Carolina last April after serving less than 8 years on several counts of breaking and entering and larceny, and for being a habitual felon.
Until the murders, he had no criminal record in South Carolina.
WSPA, WBTW's sister station in Spartanburg was contacted by a retired police investigator in Florida who says he personally worked to put Burris behind bars for 25 home burglaries.
He says Burris was convicted and should have been sentenced to 85 years in prison. He described Burris as a loner and a drug user.
Chief Lloyd says he has not been able to find out yet why somebody with Burris' long record was not behind bars. "We'll go through the rap sheet and try to contact officials in those jurisdictions, prosecutors in those jurisdictions, for example, and local law enforcement in those areas who may have known this individual or had contact with him and try to figure out what happened," Lloyd said.
He says the case shows the need to reform the criminal justice system and figure out a better way to handle career criminals, since he says most law enforcement agencies keep arresting the same people over and over again.
"I think at some point we've got to say we're willing to take on the system and change it the way it needs to be changed so that these types of individuals are not out and about among decent people," he said.
When asked if he would push state lawmakers for changes, he said he would.
Since a lot of you have contacted us with the same concern about why a career criminal with such a long rap sheet was even out of prison, we'll continue to follow this story and let you know what Chief Lloyd finds out.
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