US policeman shot dead in 'cold-blooded assassination'

A sheriff's deputy was gunned down from behind and shot multiple times at close range while fueling his patrol car in a "cold-blooded assassination," Texas authorities said Saturday, appealing for help in tracking down the killer. The fatal shooting prompted an emotional reaction from local officials, who pointed their finger at ramped-up rhetoric against police officers in the United States in protests against perceived police brutality, although they had yet to identify a suspect. Sheriff Ron