Aa
Fla. school board gunman had 'look in his eyes'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40674270/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
Ya gotta see this video! Follow the above link
12/15/10
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — In a stunning incident caught on video, a school board chairman calmly told a gunman Tuesday that he was probably responsible for firing the man's wife and another board member tried to disarm the man with her handbag before he opened fire.
The gunman, ex-convict Clay A. Duke, fired point-blank at school board members but missed. He was wounded by a security guard and then fatally shot himself.
The gunman had for much of the meeting sat with the rest of the audience, listening to routine business. As the board was in the midst of a discussion , Duke walked to the front of the room, spray painted a red "V" with a circle around it on the white wall, then turned and waved a handgun.
Video: School board heroes: ‘Happy to be alive’ (on this page)
He calmly ordered everyone to "hit the road" except the men on the board sitting behind a long beige desk.
Despite his shock, Bay City Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt mustered a calm voice and tried to persuade Duke to drop the gun, but the 56-year-old ex-convict just shook his head, blaming officials for his wife being fired.
Video showed him slowly raising the gun and leveling it at Husfelt, who pleaded "Please don't, please don't."
"He had that look in his eyes," Husfelt told NBC's TODAY on Wednesday. "I've seen anger before, and he almost had like a grimace, a smile. He had planned to do this and we knew it wasn't going to end well.
."That guy had a mission; he'd already told us he was going to die, he told us he was going to kill himself basically, and he was going to try to do the same to us."
Duke shot twice at Husfelt from about 8 feet away and squeezed off several more rounds before security guard Mike Jones bolted in and, after exchanging gunfire with Duke, wounded him in the leg or side.
Duke then fatally shot himself, police Sgt. Jeff Becker said.
Somehow, no one else who remained in the small board room was injured in the clash that lasted several minutes, and Husfelt said at least two rounds lodged in the wall behind him.
Ya gotta see this video! Follow the above link
12/15/10
PANAMA CITY, Fla. — In a stunning incident caught on video, a school board chairman calmly told a gunman Tuesday that he was probably responsible for firing the man's wife and another board member tried to disarm the man with her handbag before he opened fire.
The gunman, ex-convict Clay A. Duke, fired point-blank at school board members but missed. He was wounded by a security guard and then fatally shot himself.
The gunman had for much of the meeting sat with the rest of the audience, listening to routine business. As the board was in the midst of a discussion , Duke walked to the front of the room, spray painted a red "V" with a circle around it on the white wall, then turned and waved a handgun.
Video: School board heroes: ‘Happy to be alive’ (on this page)
He calmly ordered everyone to "hit the road" except the men on the board sitting behind a long beige desk.
Despite his shock, Bay City Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt mustered a calm voice and tried to persuade Duke to drop the gun, but the 56-year-old ex-convict just shook his head, blaming officials for his wife being fired.
Video showed him slowly raising the gun and leveling it at Husfelt, who pleaded "Please don't, please don't."
"He had that look in his eyes," Husfelt told NBC's TODAY on Wednesday. "I've seen anger before, and he almost had like a grimace, a smile. He had planned to do this and we knew it wasn't going to end well.
."That guy had a mission; he'd already told us he was going to die, he told us he was going to kill himself basically, and he was going to try to do the same to us."
Duke shot twice at Husfelt from about 8 feet away and squeezed off several more rounds before security guard Mike Jones bolted in and, after exchanging gunfire with Duke, wounded him in the leg or side.
Duke then fatally shot himself, police Sgt. Jeff Becker said.
Somehow, no one else who remained in the small board room was injured in the clash that lasted several minutes, and Husfelt said at least two rounds lodged in the wall behind him.
Not really offensive but anyone buying it is stupid.
I totally agree about guns. And Has anyone heard the infamous purse that was used to smack the killer is now on the auction market? Am I the only one that finds that offensive?
This is just another example why CCW laws are important and why other than in bars, because of the obvious reason, there should be very few restrictions on where a properly trained and licensed citizen should be able to carry a fire arm. Criminals don’t pay heed to laws and if it had not been for the security officer being there they all may have been dead.
I saw this on TV and was amazed that not a single person was hurt or killed, except the gunman (at his own hand).
Like the one man said, God was really watching out for them that day!
What a sad and scary world we live in when people think this is the way to handle conflicts.
Like the one man said, God was really watching out for them that day!
What a sad and scary world we live in when people think this is the way to handle conflicts.
Uhm.... just for consideration in the future..... if you plan on whacking a guy who is carrying a gun, with your purse.... you'd better be damn sure you can take his head off. Stupid move lady, and youre lucky to be alive.
I understand the want to be able to save your colleagues, but your "Plan A" sucked and you did not have a "Plan B". You have to be able to effectively execute your "Plan A" in order to get results...... I don't know how many times you cheated death, but you were messing with a guy who made no qualms about himself dying that morning.... you probably should have done something a tad more effective rather than the love tap with a purse and then falling to the ground..... You were out of the room.... get on the phone or get someone on the phone.... get someone who can affect a "Plan A". You were not qualified to do so....
I understand the want to be able to save your colleagues, but your "Plan A" sucked and you did not have a "Plan B". You have to be able to effectively execute your "Plan A" in order to get results...... I don't know how many times you cheated death, but you were messing with a guy who made no qualms about himself dying that morning.... you probably should have done something a tad more effective rather than the love tap with a purse and then falling to the ground..... You were out of the room.... get on the phone or get someone on the phone.... get someone who can affect a "Plan A". You were not qualified to do so....
"It was so surreal. You couldn't believe it was going on," he said.
'Ducks in a pond'
Before the shooting started, the only woman on the five-member board — who had left the room as ordered — came back, sneaked up behind Duke and whacked his gun arm with her large, brown purse.
"My guys were lined up like ducks in a pond," Ginger Littleton told TODAY. "So I could either walk away and try to live with myself because I knew something bad was going to happen, or I could try to defend, delay, somehow or other divert, hoping that the cavalry would come soon.
"My guys had three-ring binders and pencils to protect themselves, so I whacked him with the purse, hoping I could get him to drop the gun. Obviously that didn't work. I did not have a Plan B."
Duke, a large, heavyset man dressed in a dark pullover coat, got angry and turned around as Littleton fell to the floor.
Duke pointed the gun at her head and said, "You stupid b----" but he didn't shoot her, she said. She's not sure why.
"He had every opportunity to take me out," Littleton said.
Robert Cooper / AP
Paramedics transport a gunman who was shot dead at a school board meeting in Panama City, Fla. "We're so happy to be alive," board member Jerry Register told TODAY on Wednesday. "Life means a lot more today than yesterday."
advertisement | ad info
Advertisement | ad info
Advertisement | ad info
.In his brief exchange with the board, Duke said his wife had been fired from the northern Florida district, but never told Husfelt or the board who she was or her job.
Members promised to help her find a new job, but Duke just shook his head. Husfelt told Duke he would be responsible for her dismissal, so the board members should be allowed to leave.
"He said his wife was fired, but we really don't know what he was talking about," Husfelt told the AP at his Panama City home. "I don't think he knew what he was talking about."
Husfelt in the exchange on video tells Duke: "I've got a feeling you want the cops to come in and kill you because you said you are going to die today." Later, the head of more than 30 district schools said he was sure someone was going to be killed.
Most popular Updated 117 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:03:03 PM +00:00 Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year is ...
Updated 93 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:27:52 PM +00:00 'Bodies all over': Refugee boat sinks
Updated 3 minutes ago 12/15/2010 2:57:28 PM +00:00 School board gunman had 'look in his eyes'
Video captures gunman’s rage, board’s heroics
Refugees dead in Christmas Island shipwreck
..Tommye Lou Richardson, the school district's personnel director, who was at the meeting, called district security chief and former police officer Jones a hero.
In the video, as Duke lay on the floor, colleagues comforted a shaken Jones, who said he had never shot anyone before.
SWAT officers then storm the room and order everyone onto the ground.
School officials tell them that Duke is shot and appears dead.
His feet can be seen near the board's seats. The district said Jones would not be available for an interview.
Minutes before Duke rose from his seat, the room had been filled with students receiving awards, Husfelt said. "It could have been a monumental tragedy."
Husfelt said his faith anchored him during the ordeal and that he thought, "I don't want to die today but I'm prepared if I do.
"God was standing in front of me and I will go to my grave believing that," he said.
advertisement | ad info Advertisement | ad infoAdvertisement | ad info.'V for Vendetta' symbol
As for the V inside a circle that Duke painted, it's the same symbol used in the graphic novel series and movie "V for Vendetta," though police didn't talk about his motive.
On a Facebook page under Duke's name, which was apparently created Dec. 7, he left a cryptic message under the "About Me" section.
"My testament: Some people (the government sponsored media) will say I was evil, a monster (V) ... no ... I was just born poor in a country where the Wealthy manipulate, use, abuse, and economically enslave 95 percent of the population. Rich Republicans, Rich Democrats ... same-same ... rich ... they take turns fleecing us ... our few dollars ... pyramiding the wealth for themselves."
The Facebook page's profile picture shows the same red V symbol that was spray-painted on the wall during the school board meeting.
The page also shows photos from "V for Vendetta," in which a mysterious figure battles a totalitarian government.
More U.S. news Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year is ... Updated 117 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:03:03 PM +00:00 The co-founder of the omnipresent social-networking site Facebook is the second-youngest individual ever to be named Time's Person of the Year. Full story
.Updated 28 minutes ago 12/15/2010 2:32:12 PM +00:00 Pentagon bomb scare just a blinking ornament? Updated 90 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:30:06 PM +00:00 U.S. v. WikiLeaks: Can Assange be prosecuted? Updated 62 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:58:26 PM +00:00 Lawyer: Assange has half of cash needed for bail NYT: Kitchen-for-rent is lifeline for laid-off ..The Facebook profile also uses a quote billionaire Warren Buffett told the New York Times in 2006: "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class that's making war and we're winning."
Duke was charged in October 1999 with aggravated stalking, shooting or throwing a missile into a building or vehicle and obstructing justice, according to state records.
He was convicted and sentenced in January 2000 to five years in prison and was released in January 2004.
Records show Duke was a licensed massage therapist before his arrest but it wasn't clear if he was employed.
Attorney Ben Bollinger, who represented Duke during his trial, told The News Herald of Panama City that Duke was waiting in the woods for his wife with a rifle, wearing a mask and a bulletproof vest.
She confronted him and then tried to leave in a vehicle, and Duke shot the tires. He said that as part of his sentence, Duke was required to complete psychological counseling. Bollinger did not immediately return a phone message from the AP.
"The guy obviously had a death wish," district spokeswoman Karen Tucker said of Duke.
The Associated Press, NBC News and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
.
'Ducks in a pond'
Before the shooting started, the only woman on the five-member board — who had left the room as ordered — came back, sneaked up behind Duke and whacked his gun arm with her large, brown purse.
"My guys were lined up like ducks in a pond," Ginger Littleton told TODAY. "So I could either walk away and try to live with myself because I knew something bad was going to happen, or I could try to defend, delay, somehow or other divert, hoping that the cavalry would come soon.
"My guys had three-ring binders and pencils to protect themselves, so I whacked him with the purse, hoping I could get him to drop the gun. Obviously that didn't work. I did not have a Plan B."
Duke, a large, heavyset man dressed in a dark pullover coat, got angry and turned around as Littleton fell to the floor.
Duke pointed the gun at her head and said, "You stupid b----" but he didn't shoot her, she said. She's not sure why.
"He had every opportunity to take me out," Littleton said.
Robert Cooper / AP
Paramedics transport a gunman who was shot dead at a school board meeting in Panama City, Fla. "We're so happy to be alive," board member Jerry Register told TODAY on Wednesday. "Life means a lot more today than yesterday."
advertisement | ad info
Advertisement | ad info
Advertisement | ad info
.In his brief exchange with the board, Duke said his wife had been fired from the northern Florida district, but never told Husfelt or the board who she was or her job.
Members promised to help her find a new job, but Duke just shook his head. Husfelt told Duke he would be responsible for her dismissal, so the board members should be allowed to leave.
"He said his wife was fired, but we really don't know what he was talking about," Husfelt told the AP at his Panama City home. "I don't think he knew what he was talking about."
Husfelt in the exchange on video tells Duke: "I've got a feeling you want the cops to come in and kill you because you said you are going to die today." Later, the head of more than 30 district schools said he was sure someone was going to be killed.
Most popular Updated 117 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:03:03 PM +00:00 Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year is ...
Updated 93 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:27:52 PM +00:00 'Bodies all over': Refugee boat sinks
Updated 3 minutes ago 12/15/2010 2:57:28 PM +00:00 School board gunman had 'look in his eyes'
Video captures gunman’s rage, board’s heroics
Refugees dead in Christmas Island shipwreck
..Tommye Lou Richardson, the school district's personnel director, who was at the meeting, called district security chief and former police officer Jones a hero.
In the video, as Duke lay on the floor, colleagues comforted a shaken Jones, who said he had never shot anyone before.
SWAT officers then storm the room and order everyone onto the ground.
School officials tell them that Duke is shot and appears dead.
His feet can be seen near the board's seats. The district said Jones would not be available for an interview.
Minutes before Duke rose from his seat, the room had been filled with students receiving awards, Husfelt said. "It could have been a monumental tragedy."
Husfelt said his faith anchored him during the ordeal and that he thought, "I don't want to die today but I'm prepared if I do.
"God was standing in front of me and I will go to my grave believing that," he said.
advertisement | ad info Advertisement | ad infoAdvertisement | ad info.'V for Vendetta' symbol
As for the V inside a circle that Duke painted, it's the same symbol used in the graphic novel series and movie "V for Vendetta," though police didn't talk about his motive.
On a Facebook page under Duke's name, which was apparently created Dec. 7, he left a cryptic message under the "About Me" section.
"My testament: Some people (the government sponsored media) will say I was evil, a monster (V) ... no ... I was just born poor in a country where the Wealthy manipulate, use, abuse, and economically enslave 95 percent of the population. Rich Republicans, Rich Democrats ... same-same ... rich ... they take turns fleecing us ... our few dollars ... pyramiding the wealth for themselves."
The Facebook page's profile picture shows the same red V symbol that was spray-painted on the wall during the school board meeting.
The page also shows photos from "V for Vendetta," in which a mysterious figure battles a totalitarian government.
More U.S. news Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year is ... Updated 117 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:03:03 PM +00:00 The co-founder of the omnipresent social-networking site Facebook is the second-youngest individual ever to be named Time's Person of the Year. Full story
.Updated 28 minutes ago 12/15/2010 2:32:12 PM +00:00 Pentagon bomb scare just a blinking ornament? Updated 90 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:30:06 PM +00:00 U.S. v. WikiLeaks: Can Assange be prosecuted? Updated 62 minutes ago 12/15/2010 1:58:26 PM +00:00 Lawyer: Assange has half of cash needed for bail NYT: Kitchen-for-rent is lifeline for laid-off ..The Facebook profile also uses a quote billionaire Warren Buffett told the New York Times in 2006: "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class that's making war and we're winning."
Duke was charged in October 1999 with aggravated stalking, shooting or throwing a missile into a building or vehicle and obstructing justice, according to state records.
He was convicted and sentenced in January 2000 to five years in prison and was released in January 2004.
Records show Duke was a licensed massage therapist before his arrest but it wasn't clear if he was employed.
Attorney Ben Bollinger, who represented Duke during his trial, told The News Herald of Panama City that Duke was waiting in the woods for his wife with a rifle, wearing a mask and a bulletproof vest.
She confronted him and then tried to leave in a vehicle, and Duke shot the tires. He said that as part of his sentence, Duke was required to complete psychological counseling. Bollinger did not immediately return a phone message from the AP.
"The guy obviously had a death wish," district spokeswoman Karen Tucker said of Duke.
The Associated Press, NBC News and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
.
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.
You are reading content posted in the Current Events . . . Group
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
