Nurse once praised for ‘compassion’ kills man in traffic dispute, Texas police say

A college professor who’d previously worked as a “knowledgeable and compassionate” nurse is accused of shooting and killing a man in a traffic dispute, according to a news release from the city of Odessa.

William “Cliff” Goble, 60, is charged with first-degree murder after police said he shot 50-year-old David Young in his driveway in a Odessa neighborhood on Friday, authorities said in the news release. Goble is being held in the Ector County jail on a $250,000 bond.

Young was shot once and transported to the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa where he “later succumbed to his injury,” according to the news release.

A member of Young’s family refuted the police version of the argument between Goble and Young, CBS 7 reported.

Goble and Young were reportedly neighbors and Goble was upset that Young’s son was riding a motorcycle through the neighborhood, according to the CBS 7 report. Goble “flashed” a gun at the son and when Young confronted Goble, the family member said that’s when Goble shot Young.

Goble teaches health science courses at Midland College, which placed him on “paid administrative leave, pending criminal investigation,” the Midland Reporter-Telegram said.

In May 2012, Goble was awarded the “DAISY Award” honoring extraordinary nurses in the surgical unit at Midland Memorial Hospital, where he previously worked, per the DAISY Award website.

His nomination described an instance of him going above and beyond in encouraging a patient to keep his spirits high.

“Cliff was very attentive to my father after he came out of surgery. During the course of my father’s stay, he was very encouraging. He kept telling my father not to lose his sense of humor and to keep his faith. He reminded us who was “really in charge,” the nomination read.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 6:39 PM.