Kentucky police in standoff with military veteran barricaded in home

[EC]

Via NBC: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/22/22008211-kentucky-police-in-standoff-with-military-veteran-barricaded-in-home

A military veteran suffering an “emotional crisis” shot at police and barricaded himself for more than 20 hours inside of his northern Kentucky home, with a standoff continuing through Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

 A call was first received at 4 p.m. Saturday of a man having a breakdown in his home in the Cincinnati suburb of Covington.

Police communicated with the man, and learned he had three children with him: a 5-year-old son, 11-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son with autism, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

On Sunday morning, police were successfully able to negotiate the release of the man's three young children from the home.

The children were recovered unharmed just before 8:30 a.m. ET and put inside an armored vehicle, reported NBC affiliate WLWT.

Covington Police Chief Spike Jones declined to say how many other people might still be inside the home.

He told reporters early Sunday that authorities had been monitoring the man’s Facebook page, which described the SWAT team on his street. The page has since been taken down, and police wouldn’t immediately verify his identity.

“We understand that this gentleman is a decorated combat veteran of our United States military service and we want to afford him the benefits of what he’s earned and make sure ... we get him the assistance he needs,” Jones said.

He added that police had contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The situation escalated around 8 p.m. Saturday, when the disturbed vet shot at police from an elevated position, police said.

More gunfire was heard from inside the home at around 4:15 a.m. Sunday.

As the standoff stretched into its 20th hour by noon Sunday, neighbors were ordered to stay inside their homes and away from windows.

But Jones said authorities were “optimistic” talks would improve and they could defuse the situation safely.

[alicewonders]

Sad story.  I hope it gets resolved with no one being injured.  I think we need to rethink the way mental illness is treated these days.  I wonder what kind of medications he is taking?  My dad has some mental issues and we've had a time with him.  He's just got out of the hospital after a crisis involving his medications.  We've taken him off of a couple of them after he kept getting up in the middle of the night, having hallucinations and pacing anxiously, unable to sleep. 

[Atomic Cow]

We no longer treat mental illness.  We shove pills down people's throat and send them back into society without dealing with the underlying issues.

While some conditions clearly do need medication, those should only be used as a last resort, not the quick and easy out.

[truth_seeker]

I will not give medical advice without a license, but from experience with people diagnosed with depression, most DO need the medication.

Going on and off medication is a common problem, with them. They take themselves off, when they feel okay, until things go back to bad.

In my family we have experience with my youngest sister, never a drug or alcohol user. But serious depression, and the meds are a must.

Yet in the beginning over 30 years ago, most family members were skeptical about the condition, and the meds.

Not skeptical any more. Learned the long, hard way that lesson.

[alicewonders]

I think sometimes problems occur when they give medications that conflict with each other.  One that they were giving my father clearly warns that there is a greater risk of death when given to elderly people with dementia.  These drugs can be helpful, but I don't think many patients are being monitored to see that they are working like they should.  Everytime my father goes to the doctor about something they add a new medication.  He was taking twenty different pills a day and a patch too.  He was building up a toxicity in his body and it was damaging his kidneys.

I would be interested to know what, if any, pharmaceuticals this man is taking.   

[Rapunzel]

I think sometimes problems occur when they give medications that conflict with each other.  One that they were giving my father clearly warns that there is a greater risk of death when given to elderly people with dementia.  These drugs can be helpful, but I don't think many patients are being monitored to see that they are working like they should.  Everytime my father goes to the doctor about something they add a new medication.  He was taking twenty different pills a day and a patch too.  He was building up a toxicity in his body and it was damaging his kidneys.

I would be interested to know what, if any, pharmaceuticals this man is taking.

Exactly when you look at the sheer list of drugs a lot of people take these days and hear or read the side effects it's a wonder we don't have more of this... especially with the elderly. 

[rustynail]

He was shot in the arm. Set his house on fire and is now in hospital.

[flowers]

Standoff between military vet, police comes to an end in Kentucky

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/22/military-vet-in-standoff-with-kentucky-police/

And although Vaughan’s Facebook page was taken down at some point during the crisis, the veteran had posted several messages to it about his motivations and ongoing life troubles as the drama unfolded.

Latonia News -- a Facebook page devoted to local news in Latonia -- posted a screenshot of one of Vaughan's comments in which he reportedly wrote: "I appreciate everyone’s comments, but this is something that will happen. KY Guard has the blame ... along with the Dept. of the Army and Sen. Rand Paul’s office for not giving a damn about their wounded veterans who asked for help and failed to get it."