Read more: Local, State, National, Crime, Officials: Serial Killer Shouldn't have been on the Streets, Lloyd, Patrick, Burris, Gastonia, Reggie, SLED
Investigators still don't know why Patrick Burris went on a shooting spree, killing five people in less than a week. He was gunned down in a shootout with police Monday. It happened in Gastonia, North Carolina. Police there responded to a possible burglary at a vacant house. Investigators say Burris fired at officers, hitting one in the leg. Cops then fired back and killed him. Officials say Burris had at least 12 aliases and a 25 page rap sheet. With those numbers, some authorities wonder why he was even back on the streets.
SLED director Reggie Lloyd called Patrick Burris a career criminal. He says the 41-year-old serial killer committed crimes in North Carolina, Florida, West Virginia and possibly other states. Lloyd isn't sure why Burris targeted the Gaffney community.
"Here you have a person who has robbed a state and community of productive citizens, and it appears he shouldn't have been out with productive citizens," says Lloyd.
North Carolina records show Burris served more than seven years for felony charges. He was released on parole in April, but officials say Burris violated that parole. Lloyd thinks that shouldn't have been an option for the serial killer.
"When you have that many crimes you shouldn't get parole," says Lloyd.
Some of Burris' neighbors understand why he would get parole. They were surprised to hear that he's accused of killing five people.
Former neighbor Mildred Macy says, "I was friends with him. I didn't have no problem with him. He was always nice to me."
Officials say appearances can be deceiving. That's why Reggie Lloyd thinks there needs to be some drastic changes made to the criminal justice system.
"I just think our entire system has to get serious about these types of offenders," says Lloyd.
