Posted on 04/09/2013 4:47:16 PM PDT by Altariel
ST. PETERSBURG — Police shot and killed a man Sunday evening they say was suicidal and threatening two officers with a pair of scissors.
The man, identified by police as Arthur Dixon, 43, of 5411 Fourth Ave. N was shot in the upper torso. He was transported as a trauma alert patient to Bayfront Medical Center, where he later died.
His mother, who was temporarily staying at his house, called authorities about 6:10 p.m. to say Dixon had doused himself with gasoline and was threatening to set himself afire.
A neighbor, Ray Wuest, saw firefighters arrive and went to help. He said he has known Dixon more than a decade and — unlike firefighters at the scene — was not intimidated by a pit bull named Chico in the window.
Wuest said he went inside to try to talk to Dixon.
Dixon sat at the kitchen table, he said, with gas spilled all around and on him, smoking a cigarette.
Wuest said he took the cigarette, then went outside to ask firefighters whether they had something to mop up the gas. He said he went back in to clean it up. After he did, the police arrived and insisted he leave.
St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz said officers negotiated for more than an hour with Dixon. But he was "belligerent and threatening," a police statement said.
About 7:30 p.m., Dixon ran out the back of the house where Officers Devin Jones and Curtis Wright were stationed.
Dixon held a pair of scissors and raised them in a threatening manner as he approached the officers, Puetz said.
The two officers drew their guns and warned him several times to stop, Puetz said, and retreated backward. Still, Dixon kept approaching.
Both officers fired. Puetz said he did not know how many shots were fired. Dixon was struck in the upper torso and fell.
"Scissors are a deadly weapon," Puetz said. "They can cause great harm. They can be just as dangerous as a knife."
Both officers are on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Wuest said Dixon is a former landscaper who suffered a brain injury some time ago and became disabled. He has two children, one in college and one in high school, Wuest said, who do not live with him.
Ray Wuest and his wife, Mary Wuest, said they could have ended it all peacefully if only given the chance.
"If they would have left us alone with him, we could have gotten him out of the house," Mary Wuest said.
State records show that Dixon was convicted in 2011 of robbery with a weapon and resisting an officer with violence.
He was released from state prison Feb. 17.
News researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this report.
Isn’t it amazing, all of these police departments have plenty of money for actual assault rifles and armored vehicle but none of them can afford a net gun! Something that would have easily saved this mans life.
“The net gun is not only limited to animal capture. Some law enforcement agencies throughout the US have adopted the net-2000 net gun for security purposes as in riot control and capturing fleeing suspects.”
But hell I guess that is not as satisfying as tasing or shooting shooting someone, especially someone who is mentaly unbalanced!
Sounds like he was being successfully talked down until the cops arrived and inflamed the situation. What a waste.
A pity the neighbor was not permitted to continue to calm the man down.
Preserving life and working to restore someone to mental health and dignity are good things.
Murder should not be condoned or defended simply because a government employee holds the gun.
The only being who should be cheering about situations like this is the Father of Lies.
It sounds like the neighbor was successfully talking to him.
It wasn’t until *after* the neighbor was ordered to leave that things went sour.
It sounds to me like (gasp) private citizens who genuinely love and care for their neighbors have a better grasp of taking care of their neighbors and community than do government employees.
Fancy that.
On the one hand I totally agree with you, but I have to accept that the police would have been held liable if they did allow it and the guy soaked in gas lit himself up and killed or injured the good samaritans.
Your response is more in line with progressive thought-—let the state terminate citizens whom it deems fit for termination.
Why are you so against the man’s neighbor continuing to calm him down? Why are you against an individual privately helping an individual?
Why are you justifying the actions of the Agents of the State?
I think anybody would, given that situation. The problem I have with this thing is that didn't have to happen. This guy's neighbor had calmed down his dog, then him, got the bulk of the threat removed (with the help of the Firemen) and cleaned up. What's the first thing the Police did? Kicked out the neighbor. Escalated the tensions. I'm sure they have a policy that demanded it, like liability concerns.
That’s, coincidentally, a good cure for parking violation scofflaws as well.
Given that he was talking with the neighbor without incident prior to the arrival of the police, it is safe to assume that, since he clearly trusted and respected his neighbor, that trend would continue.
Neighbors who care for and look out for each other trump a “professional” government employee “who knows how to handle such delicate situations” every time.
That's likely the case. But, is there no liability for the guy who did die? Or is he worthless because he was threatening the suicide thing? If the effect of a policy that forces the police to vacate the neighbor is on-the-spot execution by cops, then somebody needs to review that policy.
I am not disagreeing with you at all , i am just recognizing that there are liability issues that cities and police departments must look at, especially in the shyster sue happy era we live in and i don’t think the police carry liability release forms with them. I take greater issue with the lack of non lethal choices that are used by the police. There seems to be a ton of money automatic weapons, but in this situation no officer had a bean bag gun, taser or as I said in a earlier post a net gun. With more and more unbalanced individuals in our society there has to be more non lethal tools. I’m tired of reading about mentally ill people being beaten to death or shot because there is not proper tools available.
At that point the guy would have been taken to the hospital for a suicide attempt.He probably didn’t want to go and that’s when the police intervened.
the police could not leave—even if the neighbor “calmed him down” if there was a call for and evidence of attempted suicide. The police are mandated to take him to a hospital and at that point the guy IS going to the hospital escorted by police. To do that, the police probably “ordered” the neighbor to leave when the neighbor may have said, “Its ok, he’s calmed down now.”
I still back the police on this. You can not leave someone just there that is suicidal...The police would not have been doing their job to get the person tot he hospital.
Parking scofflaws don’t usually threaten anyone with a weapon, but any that do deserve the same fate.
You should have been there. You could have handled it perfectly, and healed the man so he sinned no more.
And they clearly failed in their own mandate. There is no reason not to seek out the neighbor’s help, given his willingness to help out his neighbor and friend, in further calming the victim down so he can be taken to a hospital for treatment.
The neighbor clearly had a better handle on the situation:
“A neighbor, Ray Wuest, saw firefighters arrive and went to help. He said he has known Dixon more than a decade and — unlike firefighters at the scene — was not intimidated by a pit bull named Chico in the window.
Wuest said he went inside to try to talk to Dixon.
Dixon sat at the kitchen table, he said, with gas spilled all around and on him, smoking a cigarette.
Wuest said he took the cigarette, then went outside to ask firefighters whether they had something to mop up the gas. He said he went back in to clean it up. After he did, the police arrived and insisted he leave. “
Perhaps therein lies the answer-—a private citizen was doing their job better than they did. We can’t have that.
Asking the neighbor to leave allowed the police to escalate the situation privately. No non-government employee witnesses, save the victim.
And that is another reason the neighbor should not have been ordered out.
The victim clearly trusted and respected his neighbor; his neighbor stood a greater chance of helping him see the importance of going to a hospital.
You seem to be bothered by the notion that preserving life and working to restore someone to mental health and dignity are good things.
Murder should not be condoned or defended simply because a government employee holds the gun.
The only being who should be cheering about situations like this is the Father of Lies.
It is he who does not see the value and inherent dignity of men as image bearers of God.
When government employees fail to view their employers as having the same dignity, they serve the will of the Father of Lies.
When people cheer on the murder of someone claiming to be suicidal, they also serve his will. The Enemy delights in death and destruction.
Nobody had a rock to stop his attack?
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