'Please don't hurt him. He just needs help'

A frantic call, a final standoff: 'Please don't hurt him. He just needs help'

Arizona Republic
Bree Burkitt
June 19, 2019

Balladares’ mouth opened and he began to spew out a slurry of grievances — the VA couldn’t help him, all his friends were dead, no one cared about him, his country abandoned him.

Tida Garcia lives with a ghost.

Moises Balladares has been dead for almost two years. Avondale police shot him just feet outside the front door of his house — the house where Garcia still lives.

The blood is gone, and so is the small memorial of miniature American flags and patriotic-colored roses that marked the spot where he died on the night of July 25, 2017.

Tida Garcia talks about the shooting of her fiancé, Moises Balladares, a veteran, in her home in Avondale on April 4, 2019. PATRICK BREEN/THE REPUBLIC

But he's still there.

Balladares is present in nearly every part of the house, from the enlarged photos that guard the front door to his Purple Heart medal safely stored in a new shadowbox (after he destroyed the last one on that volatile night). It's in the paint colors and the furniture he chose during his last few good days.

In a sense, it's still his home — his home he tenderly prepared for Garcia and her children before he left them.

"He just always had these little signs he was going to leave us," Garcia said. "But he's always going to be here with me."
read more here

His country abandoned him...

Moises Balladares served this country and paid a price physically and mentally. His family paid too. In a way, so did the police officers who responded that deadly night. 

Ballandares went to the VA for his disabilities and asked for help that was not enough to actually help him heal.

What good did "suicide awareness" do for him? They claim that is the point of raising millions per year in every state but cannot claim to change the veteran's state of mind.

I got into arguments with these groups too many times. In the end, when they can no longer dismiss the facts, their response is "its just a number" and then add in "it is easy to remember" which proves they have no clue. 

What makes them deserve all the funds, publicity and support when the results are so appalling? That is one of the questions I ask when someone says they support one of these groups. It finally dawns on them that making veterans aware of the fact they are killing themselves, is insane. 

Making veterans aware of what PTSD is, what it really is, and then letting them know they can heal to live a happier life is preventing suicides. 

One requires no more work than planning a stunt and getting reporters to show up so they can share it on social media. The other requires an investment of research before standing by their side and giving them the help they need.

Please stop hurting them and start helping them!

Veteran shot by police last week passed away

Man shot by University City police officer last week in possible 'suicide by cop' dies

St. Louis Post Dispatch
March 27, 2019

UNIVERSITY CITY • A man shot last week in a confrontation with police has died.

James Hunn, 61, died Monday, six days after authorities say he was shot by a University City officer as he pointed a shotgun at police.

Hunn’s wife, Cathy, told the Post-Dispatch last week that he was an Army veteran who recently had suffered a stroke and was distraught over his health. Police described the March 19 shooting as a case of “suicide by cop.”

“He was just hurting so bad,” Cathy Hunn said then.

But on Tuesday, she disputed the police description of the shooting.

“That’s not true,” she said. She declined to comment further, and referred a reporter to an attorney, who could not be reached.

The confrontation was about 6 a.m. March 19 at Hunn’s home, in the 1500 block of North Hanley Road. Officers had been on the porch, yelling into the home for him to surrender, when he came from his bedroom and pointed the shotgun at police, said Capt. Fredrick Lemons of the University City Police Department.
read more here

The system failed Marine Michael Veillette

Suicidal Veteran Shot By Waterbury Police The Waterbury Observer
Story By John Murray
Thu, 03/22/2018

Released From Protective Custody Day Before Shooting

On three consecutive days a former United States Marine, Michael Veillette, went up to Holy Land USA to commit suicide, and each time his plan was foiled. 

The first attempt was thwarted by the compassion and love of a Marine Corps buddy, the second time he was arrested for carrying a pistol with an expired permit, and the third time he was shot in the hip by a Waterbury police officer and arrested again on a slew of charges. Inbetween the arrests Veillette was committed and evaluated at St. Mary’s Hospital, and released.

Tormented by PTSD from two tours of duty in Iraq, and depression, Veillette wanted out. He had intended to climb atop the hill at Holy Land USA and shoot himself at the base of the massive cross that overlooks Waterbury. This morning Veillette is in stable condition and will be arraigned at St. Mary's Hospital when the legal system delivers a judge, prosecutor, court reporter and public defender to conduct legal proceedings in his hospital room.

It didn't have to come to this. Veillette was in police and hospital custody on Tuesday night charged only with an expired pistol permit. Releasing a depressed suicidal veteran after three hours raises serious questions.

"The system failed Michael Veillette," said Brian Warren, a former U.S. Marine who served with Veillette in Iraq, and the man who talked his friend out of committing suicide Monday night. "Michael served his country with honor and needed help. He had tried to kill himself two days in a row. Why did the hospital release him with a serious mental health issue? He could have killed a cop. This was an epic mistake."read more here

This is pretty much how the rest of the press reported it.

State police: Waterbury police shoot armed man
FOX 61 News
BY BOBBY MARTINEZ AND JIM MCKEEVER
MARCH 21, 2018

WATERBURY — Connecticut State Police said they were called to the scene of an officer-involved shooting this afternoon.

State Police Troop A said they were alerted after Waterbury police shot an armed man around 4 p.m.

Waterbury Deputy Chief of Police Fred Spagnolo, said police came across a distraught individual carrying a shotgun at 60 Slocum Street near Holy Land in Waterbury. Spagnolo added that the man, Michael Veillette, 32, of Waterbury, was actively attempting to commit “suicide by cop.”
read more here

Veterans Facing Off with Law Enforcement Almost Every Week

Veterans Who Were Not Counted
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 11, 2017

Since last Veterans Day, a shocking number of veterans have been involved with situations where their lives were on the line along with members of law enforcement. 

Unlike some of the national headline grabbing veterans, like Texas, these were happening in every state across the country.

These are some of the reports regarding veterans and law enforcement faced with something they should never have to endure. 

Remember, these men and women, on both sides, decided that they would risk their own lives for the sake of others. 

None of these losses should happened.

1 

December 2, 2016 

New Mexico Veteran with PTSD

2 

December 31, 2016 

Florida Air Force Veteran

3 

January 20, 2017 

Texas Iraq Veteran Survived and arrested.

4 

January 26, 2017 

Alabama Military Veteran

5 

February 12, 2017 

New Jersey Army Veteran

6 

February 25, 2107 

Active Duty Fort Hood Soldier

7 

February 25, 2017 

Florida Marine Veteran

8 

March 8, 2017 

Colorado Iraq Veteran 

9 

March 17, 2017 

Texas PTSD Veteran 

10 

April 4, 2017 

Kansas Iraq-Afghanistan Veteran

11 

April 8, 2017 

Texas Army Veteran

12 

April 20, 2017 

Washington Air Force Veteran

13 

May 16, 2017 

California Army Veteran

14 

May 24, 2017

Tennessee Elderly Veteran

15 

May 31, 2017 

Florida Veteran At Airport

16 

June 4, 2017 

Texas PTSD Veteran

17 

June 20, 2017 

Ohio Afghanistan Veteran

18

July 2017

Arkansas 

Veteran Survived, Now Advocate

19 

July 2, 2017 

Tennessee 

67 Year Old With PTSD, Survived

20 

July 7, 2017 

Georgia Disabled Veteran Lost VA Benefits

21
July 11, 2017
New York Fort Drum Soldier

22 

July 11, 2017 

Washington National Guardsman

23

July 18, 2017 

Virginia Navy Couple

24 

July 24, 2017 

Missouri Iraq Veteran

25 

July 28, 2017 

Arizona Afghanistan Veteran

26 

August 4, 2017 

Colorado Veteran

27 

August 8, 2017 

Kansas Iraq Veteran

28 

August 19, 2017 

Florida Veteran Shot Police, Survived
Police Officers did not

29 

August 20, 2017 

Nebraska Vietnam Veteran

30 

August 27, 2017 

Florida Female Army Veteran

31 

August 28, 2017 

Detroit Veteran

32

August 31, 2017 

Texas National Guard Veteran

33 

September 7, 2017 

Texas Iraq Veteran FBI and SWAT

34 

September 12, 2017 

Mississippi Army Veteran

35
September 22, 2017
California Homeless Veteran
(Suspected of beating veteran to death)

36 

September 24, 2017 

Arizona Army Veteran

37 

September 26, 2017 

California Navy Veteran

38 

September 29, 2017 

Chicago 60 Year Old Veteran

39 

October 1, 2017 

North Carolina Army Veteran

40 

October 8, 2017 

Oregon PTSD Veteran

41 

October 10, 2017 

Massachusetts Military Veteran

42 

October 17, 2017 

Florida Armed Veteran Survived

43 

October 24, 2017

Arkansas 

SWAT Team and Veteran Navy Seal

44 

November 1, 2017 

California Homeless Veteran

45 

November 3, 2017 

Indiana Army Veteran

46

November 4, 2017 

Florida Veteran Survived

47

November 4, 2017 

Indiana Afghanistan Veteran

48

November 4, 2017 

Nashville

Veteran Fired Shots Outside VA Hospital

49 

November 7, 2017 

New York Special Forces Veteran Survived

While these reports are probably close to the number of veterans facing law enforcement, it is a reasonable assumption to make that there are more. With 52 weeks in a year, it happens at least once a week but no one counted them.

They risked their lives. Then they faced what they should have never had to face alone. 

Isn't it bad enough we do not know how many veterans committed suicide, or attempted it since last Veterans Day? At least people are trying to count them. So who is accountable for these other veterans?

PTSD Veteran Scott Farnsworth, Killed by Police Won't Be Counted

We don't know how many lives are claimed by PTSD caused by combat. What we do know is that when the end comes as "suicide by cop" they won't be counted at all.

Family, friends mourn Valley veteran's death after he was fatally shot by police

ABC 15 News

Melissa Blasius

September 28, 2017

PHOENIX - Friends and family will bury a Valley veteran Friday at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, one week after he was fatally shot by police.

ABC15 is learning more about 28-year-old Scott Farnsworth. His mom, Pat, says the Army veteran served in Iraq and medically retired because of severe PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

"He's so compassionate, so kind, and he's been that that way since he was a little boy," Pat said.

Family members said they tried and failed to get Scott proper medical and mental health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"They bleed red, white, and blue, and we do nothing except say, "Oh, how tragic," Pat Farnsworth said.

Mesa police say officers shot Scott Farnsworth after he pointed a gun at them, while in the area of Crismon Road and Southern Avenue Friday night.

read more here

National Guardsman Dead After Standoff with State Trooper

Man with knife killed by Washington state trooper identified

KOMO News

Authorities have identified a man fatally shot by a Washington State Patrol trooper Saturday along Interstate 5 who allegedly had called 911 and requested "suicide by cop" before threatening the officer with a knife. (Photo: KOMO News)

LACEY, Wash. (AP) - Authorities have identified a man fatally shot by a Washington State Patrol trooper Saturday along Interstate 5 who allegedly had called 911 and requested "suicide by cop" before threatening the officer with a knife.

The Olympian reports 22-year-old National Guard reservist Michael Rude of Kent was shot by a trooper on the freeway in Lacey.

Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said Monday that an autopsy shows Rude died of gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen with internal bleeding.

read more here

Man Shot in Alabama Possible Suicide By Cop?

Knox man killed in Alabama officer-involved shooting
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Hayes Hickman
Jan. 26, 2017

Partridge added that Oxford police were notified by the Heflin, Ala., Police Department, which initiated the pursuit, that the suspect was armed, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had made suicidal threats in the past. He could not confirm whether Lambert was a military veteran.

Micah R. Lambert

(Photo: Knox County Detention Facility)

A Knoxville man who fled the state after an alleged assault on a Knox County sheriff's deputy was fatally shot by police in Alabama following a pursuit Wednesday, authorities said.

Micah R. Lambert, 37, was killed when he attempted to charge officers with his SUV, according to Oxford, Ala. Police Chief Bill Partridge.

The chief said Lambert was wanted on a charge of aggravated assault on police officers in connection with an incident earlier this week in Knox County.

"Lambert had been reported missing and had left a friend's house with a loaded handgun after making threats to harm himself, according to the report.

"Mr. Lambert had left his dog with his friend and signed over the title to his vehicle before leaving," the report states.
read more here

PTSD Veteran Tried to Commit Suicide By Cop With Air Gun

Huntington Man Sentenced After Triggering Police Action Shooting
WBIW News
Updated August 17, 2016

Peek had admitted in court he was trying "to commit suicide by cop." The U.S. Army veteran told the court he hoped to get treatment for his wounds and for PTSD.

(HUNTINGBURG) - A Huntingburg man who triggered a standoff in February and was wounded in an officer-involved shooting was sentenced last week in Dubois Circuit Court.

In an open plea deal, 27-year-old Zachary Peek pleaded guilty to a Level 5 felony count of intimidation with a deadly weapon. On Friday, Judge Nathan Verkamp sentenced Peek to three years to be served at the Dubois County Security Center. But the court noted Peek can apply to be admitted into an in-patient post traumatic stress disorder program at the Marion, Ill., Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Police later learned the gun was an air gun pistol with a long barrel.

read more here

Kevin Higgins Survived Deployments But Not Being Back Home

Widow of shooting subject: The VA let us down
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Miller Jozwiak
August 11, 2016

In the last eight days before Kevin died, he tried calling six different crisis hotlines to simply vent his thoughts. Nicole’s phone shows multiple calls to the lines, though Kevin's phone is still in possession of the police and the crisis lines are anonymous.

“There was one, a combat crisis hotline that we found,” Nicole said. “And a veteran on there did speak with him from a little before midnight until like four in the morning… All he wanted to do was talk. He just needed an outlet.”

Nicole Higgins has not tried to justify what her husband, Kevin Higgins, did.

(Photo: Submitted by Nicole Higgins)

Unanswered calls for help

“When he did get his medications in the mail, they’d always come late. His refills were never refilled,” Nicole said. “Say the doctor would write the prescription, and then it’s supposed to come every month, and it wouldn’t. We were having trouble because the meds come from Green Bay… And his meds came late.”

On July 17, Kevin robbed the Union Avenue Tap and raised an assault rifle at officers who responded, prompting them to fire six bullets into him.

She doesn't blame the officers who shot her husband to death that night. She said the officers were just defending themselves from a crime, but that the incident could have been stopped long before July 17.

“They did what they had to do,” Nicole said.

But as she received part of Kevin's medication mere days after his death -- medication designed in part to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he developed following parts of his military service -- she found herself questioning why Kevin couldn't get proper treatment for the mental illness that precipitated his death.

“It really upset him that he was telling these veterans [at the VFW] that this is where you can get help and he’d reach out to those places and they wouldn’t help him,” Nicole said.
read more here

PTSD: Sheriff Says South Carolina Veteran Committed Suicide By Cop

Sheriff: Veteran With PTSD Committed “Suicide by Cop”
ABC Columbia Staff
August 9, 2016

Little Mountain, S.C. (WOLO) — Richland County Coroner Gary Watts has identified than man involved in Monday’s officer involved shooting as James W. Jennings Jr.

According to Watts, autopsy results show Jennings died of multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body including one that was self inflicted. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott tells ABC Columbia, Monday evening deputies responded to a domestic dispute on Wash Lever Road to find Jennings barricaded inside his home. Lott explains that after hours of negotiation the man shot himself twice before pointing the gun at officer, who returned fire.

“We tried to use non lethal means to subdue him, that didn’t work and when he actually threatened the officer and pointed the gun we didn’t have a choice at that point. You know, he was trying to get us to kill him.” says Lott.

The Sheriff says Jennings was a military veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
read more here

UK Navy Veteran Standoff With Police

Combat caused PTSD does not just happen here in the US. It happens to humans no matter what country they serve to defend. Civilians benefit from what they fought for in order to have this wound treated. After all, Trauma is Greek for wound. It is something that happened to them and they survived. It is an ancient wound. It has been described in some of the first printed words including the pages of the Bible, especially within the Psalms of David.

What has never been explained is, how is it that most humans know so little about it when everyone seems to be talking about it?

There are far too many claiming they are raising awareness about PTSD and suicides yet none of them have the ability to truly do anything to change what has been happening. Why? Simply because they do quick searches, find the number "22" and never bother to do anymore research. How important is it when they can't even bother to invest the time in understanding it? They are unprepared and the results show how little they actually know.

When asked simple basic questions they should have known before they even began to publicize themselves, they give the wrong answers. When asked if they are prepared for an encounter with a veteran in crisis, they have not even thought about it. They are not ready to make anything better or help a veteran when they are losing everything in the process.

They will talk about PTSD but never mention what comes with it when normal life happens to deliver more trauma. It happened in the UK with a standoff between a veteran and police officers.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Emerson’s mental health issues were compounded by the break-up of his marriage.

He said: “Added to these problems was that he lived next door to his ex mother-in-law. His ex-wife would still attend at the property with her new partner and children.

“All these circumstances added together to provide a very tense situation.”

PTSD is followed by a series of misfortunate events because they did not get the proper help. That is what everyone needs to know in all of this. So when do we start to make surviving be more of a blessing instead of it feeling like a curse?

Former Navy officer threatened to shoot police during armed siege in “suicide by cop” attempt
Mirror UK
BY NEIL DOCKING
4 JUN 2016

Neil Emerson threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt

An ex-Royal Navy officer wearing a gas mask and threatened to shoot police during a five-hour armed siege in a “suicide by cop” attempt.

Neil Emerson, who was suffering post traumatic stress disorder, brandished an axe after calling officers to his home in Waterloo, Merseyside, at around 5.30pm on March 7 this year, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he yelled: “I’m wearing Kevlar so you will have to shoot me in the head when you come in here to get me.”

He then shouted: “I’ve got an SLR [self-loading rifle] and I’m going to take potshots at you – you won’t even see it coming.”

Emerson had earlier dialled 999 and told an operator: “I’ve set the house up. I’m ready for youse. Come and get me. I’m going to kill youse.”

The 52-year-old, of Oxford Drive, added: “You’ve got my number, you’ve got my name, so come and get me. Tell them to come in heavy.”
read more here

Army Staff Sgt. Shot by Police on Anniversary of Friend's Suicide

Sheriff's Office won't release names of deputies who shot, killed 'suicidal' man in Harford 
The Baltimore Sun Bryna Zumer
March 4, 2016

"I think it's just telling that it's on the one-year anniversary of his friend who killed himself," Councilman Joe Woods said Friday about Bradley, who was believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office said Friday that the names of the three deputies who shot and killed Army Staff Sergeant Travis Boyd Bradley, who was assigned to Aberdeen Proving Ground, would not be released.

The Sheriff's Office, citing its past practice and procedure, said the names of the deputies, who are on routine administrative leave, would not be released because they were part of the tactical deployment in the standoff that turned deadly Wednesday afternoon and evening outside of Bradley's house on Althea Court in Bel Air South.

The Sheriff's Office took a similar position against releasing the names of deputies involved in a shooting incident following the Sept. 28, 2013 fatal shooting of 34-year-old Austin Francis Jones inside a Havre de Grace house where police say Jones was holding a woman hostage and had pointed an object, which looked like a firearm, out the window at police.
read more here

Kansas City Veteran's Death Behind VA National Review

Death of Iraq veteran from Kansas City leads the VA to a nationwide review of wait times
Kansas City Star
BY MARY SANCHEZ
September 3, 2015

After two tours in Iraq, Issac Sims was determined to be 70 percent disabled from PTSD from his military service. He also had hearing loss and traumatic brain injury, possibly the results of an improvised explosive device that detonated. On the day he died, he’d spent the morning taking his father’s Hummer to nearby fields, bouncing over the terrain, acting as if he were patrolling for IEDs.

Joy.

For the first since her son’s death in what is often termed “suicide by cop,” Patricia Sims said she felt joy.

“This is for the next soldier,” Sims said Thursday.

Her son, Issac Shawn Sims, was an Iraq veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he practically goaded police to shoot him over Memorial Day weekend 2014. Sims held Kansas City officers at bay for five hours at his family’s East Side home. He died of multiple gunshot wounds, police accounts said, after pointing a rifle at officers.

Sims was 26.

Now the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will conduct a nationwide review of wait times and occupancy rates for relevant inpatient and other programs, as recommended by the Office of Inspector General. The report assessed Sims’ treatment and was released Wednesday. The report labeled Sims’ care as “inadequate.” The review came after a request by Rep. Kevin Yoder.

That Patricia Sims’ son’s case could possibly lead to substantial action is “one small step.”

Sims’ parents said they had tried in vain to get him help for his PTSD at the VA, a mere 2 miles from their home.

The family said Sims had been told he’d have to wait 30 days for inpatient treatment for PTSD.
read more here

Just a reminder we were told the same thing BACK IN THE 90's and Congress blamed the VA back then too instead of fixing anything!

Marine Survived Afghanistan and 177 Police Bullets in Texas

Despite attempt at ‘suicide by cop,’ only one of 177 police bullets hit Marine veteran 
MySanAntonio
BY ZEKE MACCORMACK
JUNE 4, 2015

A jury Thursday sentenced him to 10 years in prison despite testimony from three men who served with him in Afghanistan that he deserved a second chance. Valdez himself took the stand, apologized to police and his family and said he had intended to hurt nobody but himself.

BOERNE — A troubled war vet who fired shots during a confrontation with police while robbing a Fredericksburg convenience store — he later called it an attempted suicide by cop — admitted guilt and is asking a jury here to assess his punishment.

Officers fired 177 bullets during the melee, but Victor A. Valdez, 25, escaped the Dec. 18, 2013 incident with a minor buttock wound, according to testimony this week.

Police unleashed the firepower when Valdez, a former Marine lance corporal with post traumatic stress disorder from his service in Afghanistan, fired through the store’s front window after more than two hours of telephone negotiations broke down. read more here

Air Force Veteran Fired 23 Shots Before Being Killed By SWAT

Think about this for a second. 23 shots in the air. In other words, he wasn't aiming at anyone. Next time you hear someone say something about how dangerous veterans are, remember that. He was only a danger to himself.

Don't blame SWAT officers because this happens all the time across the country and they have to decide what to do because no one knows for sure if it will end differently.

Sometimes it does end with the veteran turning himself in or just being wounded and usually they are taken to get the help they desperately need. For other times, actually most of the time, they really don't have another choice because too many veterans are still suffering instead of healing.

Someone please remind me again how repeating the same "efforts" over and over again is helping? From what I've seen, what works has been forgotten about and Congress just keeps passing the same old bullshit that failed too many for too long.

Air Force veteran fired 23 shots before he was killed by police
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
By KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ
March 3, 3015

Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Kevin McMahill speaks about the officer involved shooting that occurred on Feb. 25, 2015, in the 5300 block of East Craig Road, at Metro headquarters on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Francis Spivey, 43, was suicidal and armed with an AR-15 rifle when he was fatally shot after a two-hour confrontation with police.
(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

On the balcony of his second-story apartment in U.S. Air Force dress blue uniform, Francis “Frank” Lamantia Spivey stood with an assault rifle pushed up to his chin just after midnight Feb. 25.

Over the course of two hours, the retired serviceman fired 23 rounds from his rifle into the air and nearby buildings at the Eagle Trace apartment complex, 5370 E. Craig Road, threatening Las Vegas police officers during a standoff before being fatally shot, police said at a press conference Tuesday.

Spivey, who served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, told negotiators he would “shoot every single officer that he sees,” McMahill said.

A single shot to the chest from SWAT Officer Bradley Cupp’s rifle at 1:48 a.m. ended negotiations that night in Metro’s second officer-involved shooting of 2015.

“Our officers exercised incredible restraint,” Metro Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said, citing the scrutiny Metro has faced in past officer-involved shootings.

Armed with six magazines holding 124 rounds of ammunition for his AR 15, Spivey, 43, demanded to talk to his estranged girlfriend. His exchange with police was captured by a camera worn by one of the officers and shown during Tuesday’s news conference.

“You put that (expletive) on the (expletive) phone,” Spivey shouted from his balcony.

Officers taking shelter behind a car in the complex parking lot are heard pleading with him to put his rifle down.

“There’s no way I can bring the phone to you, Frank,” an officer says, trying to negotiate. “She’s scared too, Frank.”
read more here

SWAT Medic Wounded During Suicide By Cop Standoff

Polk gunman dead after SWAT standoff 
10 News
Emerald Morrow
February 7, 2015

Deputies say Phillips started shooting at them and he hit a SWAT medic in the shoulder. When the SWAT team shot back, the building went up in flames.

Sheriff Judd credit his military vehicles for protecting deputies in the standoff.
(Photo: WTSP)

Winter Haven, Florida -- Authorities confirmed on Saturday that the gunman in a standoff -- that involved more than 200 rounds -- at a plumbing company is dead.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said that during the standoff, Michael Phillips, 39, made it clear he wanted to commit suicide by cop and continually threatened the law enforcement presence.

His mother apparently notified police that he suffered from mental illness. Soon after police got to the scene, a shootout began. More than 200 shots were exchanged between deputies and the suspect.
read more here

Prosecutor Says Veteran Attempted Suicide By Cop

Retired Army Veteran Charged With Threatening Shooting at U.S. Capitol
NBC Washington
Feb 5, 2015

Bogoslavski, of Cheverly, Maryland, served in the U.S. Army for nine years and retired in March 2013, authorities said. He completed two tours in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan.

A retired Army veteran allegedly threatened to shoot his wife and other people at the U.S. Capitol, where his wife works, and said he wanted "to die [by] suicide by cop," federal prosecutors said Thursday.

On Monday, Michael Bogoslavski, 33, texted threats to his wife, a Senate staffer, telling her that he planned to bring guns to her workplace and shoot her and others who got in his way, authorities said.

"Gun in each hand ... someone is going to be greaving [sic] for their family members today, including my family," the text messages read. "I'm going to come up there and shoot everyone in my [expletive] way]."

The employee later called Capitol Police. While the employee was speaking to them, Bogoslavski allegedly called the employee's cellphone and made more threats to shoot people and "to die [by] suicide by cop," federal prosecutors said.

Capitol Police alerted local law enforcement, and the Cheverly Police Department found Bogoslavski at his home. He was taken to a hospital, released the next day and then arrested.
read more here

San Francisco Suicide by Cop Left Note of Apology to Officers

Man shot by San Francisco officers left suicide notes 
Jan 5th 2015

This Jan. 4, 2015 photo shows police investigators on Valencia Street after an officer-involved shooting at the San Francisco Police Mission Station in San Francisco. Officers shot and killed a man who brandished what appeared to be a handgun but was actually an air gun after they told him to leave a restricted parking lot outside a San Francisco police station on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015.
(AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Carlos Avila Gonzalez)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A man who was shot and killed by San Francisco police officers left behind several suicide notes in his cellphone, including one addressed to police, authorities said Monday. Officers shot Matthew Hoffman, 32, Sunday evening after he entered a restricted parking lot at a police station and brandished what appeared to be a handgun. It was actually an air gun, which fires small projectiles such as pellets or BBs. San Francisco police made public a note titled

"Dear Officer(s)" with the permission of Hoffman's father, authorities said in a statement. In the note, Hoffman, 32, said the officers "ended the life of a man who was too much of a coward to do it himself."

"Please, don't blame yourself. I used you. I took advantage of you," Hoffman added. Hoffman was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he later died of his wounds. The officers were not injured.

The air gun did not have a colored tip on it, which is a standard identifier of a toy gun, Officer Gordon Shyy said Monday. He declined to discuss any other details of the case.
read more here