Man threatening suicide is shot by police
By Elissa HarringtonSPRINGFIELD, Ore - Police shot 51-year old Richard Sykes dead in front of his Springfield home. "My mom calls me and says, don't come home," says neighbor Tony Ace. "The SWAT team is here, the house has been surrounded, our neighbor has guns and we've heard gunshots." Police say around 2 p.m. they received a call from Sykes's doctor who said Sykes called him demanding drugs, was angry, and was threatening to kill himself. Soon after, Sykes's wife called saying he was dangerous, suicidal and would kill police. "We have information he shot his rifle before we even got here," says Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith. "He was not rational. He was threatening and threatened to shoot the first cop he'd seen."
Police and SWAT teams evacuated nearby neighbors, closed down roads, and secured the area. Chief Smith says cops tried negotiating with Sykes for about an hour. They say, Sykes finally did emerge from the house at 3:11 p.m. He was armed with an assault rifle and a handgun. "He kinda did a Rambo roll in his yard pointing his gun at the officers," says Chief Smith. That's when four different Springfield police officers shot Sykes dead. Was this suicide by cop? Chief Smith says you could call it that. "He told negotiators he'd kill the first cop he'd seen but said he hoped they'd kill him first." |
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