Suicidal veteran shot by police...charged?

Bradenton Beach cop cleared in shooting suicidal veteran. But now the veteran is facing charges
Bradenton News
Jessica DeLeon
June 4, 2018

The veteran served 26 years as a U.S. Marine and completed five tours, McIntosh explained. 

"It's sinful that we aren't doing a better way as a country to take care of these people who come back and are dealing with this," McIntosh said. "To add injury to insult to this Marine, he gets released after he finally gets stabilized physically and mentally, and they come arrest him. I don't get that."

A Bradenton Beach police officer was cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a man who was suicidal and charged at the officer with a knife and a hatchet in December — a tactic commonly called suicide by cop.

The Palmetto man is now charged with aggravated assault against that officer.

On the night of Dec. 30, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office received a call from Douglas Schofield's sister reporting that he appeared to be suicidal. The sheriff's office was able to trace the location of his cellphone to Anna Maria Island. Deputies and police officers from Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach saturated the island until they found Schofield's gray Honda Civic.

The Honda Civic, with Schofield sitting inside, was found at the intersection of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue by Bradenton Beach police officer Eric Hill, Holmes Beach Chief of Police William Tokajer, officer Christine LeBranche and sheriff's deputy Amy Leach.

"But for the life of me, I cannot understand why we haven't come up with better techniques for handling a situation where someone tells us that they are trying to commit suicide," McIntosh said.

Schofield nearly died and spent weeks recovering at a hospital, according to his attorney. He was then transferred to the VA Hospital, where he was able to seek mental heath assistance he needed.
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