Mister men wrote: » Lol. What's with the V on the wall? For a minute i thought he was going to peel his face off and reveal he's an alien.
Canis Lupus wrote: » Just watched on Sky, can't make up mind if he intentionally missed or those two lads he fired at just got extremely lucky. Silly but brave woman for taking a swing.
A video camera set up to record a school meeting in Florida last night captured a fatal armed stand-off, inadvertently offering a rare intimate glimpse inside a hostage situation. The school board meeting in Panama City, which was being broadcast live on the internet, was interrupted when a man walked slowly to the front of the room and spray-painted a red ‘V’ vendetta symbol on the wall. He turned around to reveal a gun in his hand before demanding that everyone left the hall except six school board officials. In the following minutes, the camera recorded three very different, very dangerous attempts to bring the incident to a peaceful resolution. Ginger Littleton, a middle-aged woman wearing a white jacket and trousers, was the first to risk her life. One of those ordered to leave the room, she crept back towards Clay Duke and swung her large brown handbag at him in an attempt to knock the gun from his grasp. She failed to dislodge the weapon. “In my mind, that was the last attempt or opportunity to divert him,” she said afterwards, admitting that she was surprised not to have faced any reprisal. “He had every opportunity to take me out.” The gunman continued to try to explain his grievances to the school board. He appeared to be saying that he wanted revenge after his wife had been sacked but it was unclear whether she had worked in education in Florida. One of the board members tried to take sole responsibility for her dismissal and pleaded in vain for Duke to let the others leave. Another official then tried to engage with the gunman and to reason with him, carefully explaining that whatever problems he faced it was not worth being shot. This final attempt also failed and Duke, 56, began to fire shots at the board members as they ducked for cover. Mike Jones, a security guard, ran in to the hall and exchanged shots with the man. Duke, a former massage therapist, turned the gun on himself once he had been wounded. The video shows Mr Jones, an ex-policeman, looking distraught while he was comforted by colleagues as he explained that it was the first time he had shot anyone. Bill Husfelt, the board’s superintendent who survived the ordeal, said the room had been filled with students minutes before the stand-off began. “It could have been a monumental tragedy,” he said. “We could tell by the look in his eyes that this wasn’t going to end well.” “It was so surreal. You couldn’t believe it was going on. He said his wife was fired, but we really don’t know what he was talking about. I don’t think he knew what he was talking about.” Duke was released from prison in 2004 after being convicted of aggravated stalking, shooting into a building or vehicle and obstructing justice. Ben Bollinger, who represented Duke during his trial, said his client had waited in the woods for his wife with a rifle, wearing a mask and a bulletproof vest. When she tried to leave, Duke shot the tires of her vehicle.
syklops wrote: » Wanting to kill and or injure members of a school board does not necessarily mean the guy is a nutjob. Quite the opposite in my opinion....
TheZohan wrote: » He fired blanks.
Jumpy wrote: » That would have made it quite difficult to shoot himself.
Canis Lupus wrote: » I thought blanks, fired at point blank (I know I know) range, can still kill.
Canis Lupus wrote: » Silly but brave woman for taking a swing.
syklops wrote: » You would get a fairly bad burn from the escaping gasses, but I dont think it would kill you. I think your thinking of rubber bullets that can kill at close range.
Lorcan78 wrote: » You have got to be joking , you do know that hostage taking and murder is illegal right ? What sane person would want to enter a school board meeting with the intention to take lives including his own eh ? It is my understanding that persons who have attempted suicide or have made it clear that it was their intention to do so always found themselves ending up in places like St Ita's Hospital in Portrane .
Minstrel27 wrote: » That was the action of a stupid bitch.
PrincessLola wrote: » 'Stupid bitch' is uncalled for, show some decency.
Lorcan78 wrote: » It is my understanding that persons who have attempted suicide or have made it clear that it was their intention to do so always found themselves ending up in places like St Ita's Hospital in Portrane .
face1990 wrote: » While I agree that this guy obviously had some mental issues, you can't say that every person who's every committed suicide or even considered suicide is a nutjob! Suicide and suicidal feelings are very, very common. Attitudes like yours, ie saying that anyone who's suicidal should be put in an institution, is part of the reason there is such a stigma surrounding mental health issues. I certainly hope you don't ever have a friend or relative coming to you for help if they're feeling suicidal. Anyway, back on topic...
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