| Armed standoff at TJ Hall ends peacefully |
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| Written by Shishir Jai | |
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On March 15 at approximately 2:40 am, the Rolla Police Department received a 911 call for an armed gunman in an automobile at the Thomas Jefferson Residence Hall located in the 1700 Block of North Highway 63. Officers responded along with numerous officers from other agencies. The Rolla Police Department SWAT Team was activated and responded to the scene as well. Upon arrival officers found a 19 year old male who had barricaded himself in his vehicle. Upon further investigation it was determined that the male was planning on harming himself with a weapon. After approximately two hours of negotiations, the incident was resolved and the male was taken into protective custody. Officers later located six weapons including handguns, shotguns and rifles. Currently the male is being evaluated and no charges have been officially filed at this time, although charges are anticipated at a later date. According to Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse, the gunman was a 19-year-old former Missouri S&T student from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. “Apparently, he had been drinking. He became despondent and threatened to harm himself,” Kearse said. What then ensued, Kearse said, was about two hours of negotiations. “It was resolved peacefully,” Kearse said. Kearse said the former student “had two shotguns, an SKS (.30 caliber rifle), and two handguns.” “A lot of the credit for this ending peacefully goes to (Detective) Andy Davis of the Sheriff’s Department. Andy Davis negotiated with him,” Kearse said. Davis, reached Sunday night, said “All I did was talk to him; find some common ground to get him to come out. “I told him ‘no one outside here wanted to shoot him as long as he didn’t want to shoot anybody,’” said Davis, who is a crisis management instructor. “From there, I take intel on what I get from police on him and try to find some common ground,” Davis said. “I just try to work to get his trust. Tell him I can get him help; that we have medics here who want to help him. That’s really all I did,” Davis said. “I know his name is Will. It could be William, Willie, or just Will. That’s all I know,” Davis said, downplaying his role. “The real guys are those police who responded.” Davis said, after Will emerged from his older, white, four-door car, he met Kearse, other officers, and then the medics. “I can’t even tell you the make of his car,” Davis said. “That’s not important in the negotiations. It was an older, white four-door. It might have been an old Taurus. They brought him over to me so I could meet him. It’s important that they have a face with whom he was talking,” Davis said. “It helps to bring some closure.” Davis began negotiating with Will from a distance, eventually getting his cell phone number. “I just told him I was a lot older and shouting back and forth like this was tough on an old guy,” Davis said of the 50-foot distance. “I got him to give me his cell number, and I called him. I just established a theme. He seemed to know guns.” “I don’t think he ever wanted to hurt anybody,” Davis said. Davis confirmed late Sunday night that Will was not booked into the Phelps County Jail. “It’s my guess they took him to the (Phelps County Regional Medical Center’s) Psychological Ward,” Davis said. When asked whether he would be charged today, Davis said he did not know. “That’s up to Rolla Police. He’s their case. I just talked him into coming out,” Davis concluded. This incident was resolved peacefully due to the excellent cooperation of all agencies involved which included the Rolla Police Department, Missouri S&T Police, Phelps County Sherriff’s Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Phelps County Ambulance. |
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