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Florida School Board Shooting: Gunman Opens Fire During Meeting
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A horrifying scene caught on video at a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida. A gunman started shooting at board members and amazingly, he missed every person he fired on.
Heart-stopping moments for bay district school board members in Panama City, Florida Tuesday. Amazingly, no one was hurt except the gunman, 56-year-old Clay Duke. Police say he died after shooting himself.
In the moments leading up to the shooting, news cameras were rolling as they normally do during school board meetings. Duke stood up and spray painted a red circle and a 'V' then told everyone except six board members to get out.
In the video, you can hear him saying, "You may leave you may leave, and you can leave.'
Moments later, a board member tried unsuccessfully to knock the gun out of duke's hand with her purse while board members yelled for her to stop. The superintendent who you heard trying to reason with Duke recounted the terrifying ordeal.
William Husfelt, superintendent for Bay County School District says, "But when he turned around with that gun, you could see in his eyes, that you know, he just had that look. You knew that he had something in mind that he was going to do and it was not going to end well."
Authorities now trying to determine what caused Clay Duke to go on a shooting spree which ultimately ended with his own death.
Police say they have a solid lead on Clay Duke's motive, but are still investigating. Before he started shooting, Duke could be heard talking about the apparent firing of his wife and sales taxes.
Bay District personnel director Tommye Lou Richardson says Rebecca Crowder-Duke was fired in February. The district hired her in September 2009 to teach students with special needs, but didn't pass probation. Richardson says Crowder-Duke had questioned her termination but never filed a lawsuit. She couldn't specify why the woman was fired.
Police say the ex-convict who held a Florida school board at gunpoint had been planning to do it for some time.
Panama City Police Chief John Van Etten says Tuesday's date was circled on a calendar found in the trailer where Duke lived north of Panama City.
Source: AP