A man is recovering from critical injuries after the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says he tried to take his own life before attempting to shoot his wife and a deputy.
In a press conference Monday evening, Sheriff Grady Judd said the incident happened before noon when a deputy responded to a call of an attempted suicide where 57-year-old WM was planning to kill himself and his wife. The sheriff said M stated he wanted to “commit suicide by cop.”
When the deputy arrived, he found M’s wife approaching him, according to J. M then came out of the garage, which is when he allegedly shot his gun several times at both the deputy and his wife.
Investigators said M went back into the home through the garage. The responding deputy then called for assistance and was joined by more PCSO deputies, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and Dade City police.
Responding agencies set a perimeter and tried talking with M. J said M’s daughter attempted to reach him by recording a message to get him to surrender.
The sheriff’s office’s crisis negotiating team eventually arrived to continue talking with him, but were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, SWAT teams then placed chemical agents in the house, which eventually led to M going back into the garage.
When he stepped out, J explained he had a semi-automatic firearm to his chest and also asked deputies to shoot him.
As negotiations continued to get M to surrender, officials said he pointed his gun at SWAT officials and then was immediately shot.
“That didn’t work so well for him,” J said.
SWAT medics immediately began treating M and airlifted him to a level-two trauma center in Osceola County, where he underwent surgery. J said it is unclear if he will survive as of Monday evening.
The responding deputy and the wife were not injured in the incident.
“This is a clear case of how mental health issues can turn into a mental health crisis,” J said. “And a mental health crisis can turn into someone trying to kill my deputies, and in this instance, trying to kill his wife.”
PCSO officials are still investigating this incident.
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Source: wtsp
