Manchester Police officers successfully averted a tragedy by de-escalating a situation in which a township man, armed with a semi-automatic rifle stated to a family member that he wanted to “kill people.”
During the early morning hours of November 9, 2019 members of the Manchester Police Department investigated an incident at a Pine Lake Park residence in response to a call from a family member who had reported that a male occupant of the residence was acting irrationally and was in the process of loading a semi-automatic rifle. The caller also advised police dispatch that the 25-year-old male suffered from mental illness. As officers made their way to the scene, police dispatch instructed the caller and all other occupants of the residence to exit and move to a safe location. The caller remained on the phone after exiting the residence and was able to provide dispatch with valuable information with regard to the male’s actions.
Upon arrival, officers met with the caller, who told them that the male had opened a second story window, removed the screen and established what she described as a “sniper hide.” After receiving the aforementioned information and ensuring that no one was inside the residence except the male, officers carefully and tactically approached the residence. Upon doing so, they were able to make verbal contact with the male and convince him to exit the residence without incident. The male was subsequently transported to the Community Medical Center Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services Unit for a mental health evaluation.
A search of the residence resulted in the recovery of a loaded rifle in the male’s room, along with a large quantity of ammunition. Additionally, officers located a second rifle concealed in the attic.
“I am extremely proud of the officers and the police dispatcher for the way they handled this call. These department members did an outstanding job de-escalating a situation which could have easily ended in tragedy. At the end of the day, our goal is to ensure the safety of our community and officers and today we were able to accomplish that goal.”