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Texas Bank Shootout Wounds 3 & Midday Roundup

By KERA News & Wire Services

Dallas, TX – A shootout outside a north Dallas bank on Monday left a suspect and two people wounded.

The shootings happened just before 11 a.m. in the 15-story Four Forest high-rise office building, which houses the United Texas Bank and other offices near the intersection of U.S. 75 and Interstate 635.

Sr. Cpl. Lt. Kevin Janse, a Dallas police spokesman, says a man walked into a financial services office on the third floor and opened fire on two people. Janse said the gunman and two men had an ongoing dispute of an undetermined nature.

Janse said the gunman pointed his gun at three arriving police officers, drawing several shots that missed. The man ducked inside the office and shot himself in the head. He's in critical condition at nearby Medical City Dallas hospital.

The victims, ages 63 and 39, are in stable condition at Medical City Dallas with gunshot wounds.

Deputy who shot Walmart suspect to be released

An off-duty officer shot in the chest after exchanging gunfire with a man outside a Texas WalMart expects to be released from the hospital.

Delta County Deputy Paul Robertson was texting friends and talking on the telephone Monday, a day after he fatally shot an armed man trying to enter a WalMart in the east Texas town of Commerce. Authorities haven't identified the shooting suspect, who they say fired at officers during a police chase moments before trying to enter the store.

Sheriff Gerald Teague said Robertson was sore but ready to go home. He was shot on the right side of his chest. Teague said Robertson "obviously saved lives."

The shootout Sunday in Commerce began when police received a call that shots had been fired from a car in nearby Greenville, about 50 miles northeast of Dallas.

Dallas Zoo slated to have 6 elephants soon

The Dallas Zoo plans to have six elephants on display just two years after animal rights activists were calling for the shut down of an aging exhibit with just one pachyderm.

Zoo officials stirred controversy in 2008 when they said they planned to move their lone remaining elephant, Jenny, to Mexico. Activists wanted the facility shuttered and the elephant placed at a U.S. animal preserve.

Guidelines suggest zoos keep at least two elephants because they need social interaction.

The Dallas Zoo decided to keep Jenny and added a new companion, Gypsy, last year. Two African female elephants were recently brought in, and two more are expected to arrive this month.

The elephants are scheduled to go on display over Memorial Day weekend.

Texas can save water with new toilets, other steps

Environmental groups say there's a simple way to conserve water in Texas: Get a new toilet.

That's among the recommendations Monday in a report evaluating water conservation in 19 cities around the state.

The report from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club says replacing toilets manufactured before 1992 could save about 12,000 gallons a year per household. Older toilets use from 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush, but newer high-efficiency toilets only use 1.28 gallons per flush.

The report also recommended changing utility pricing structure to reward conservation; restricting outdoor watering; offering local rebate programs for replacing fixtures and appliances; and more public education.