It started with a call of “a shot fired” at a home in north Fayette County with a distraught young man holed up inside.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s SWAT team responded to 340 Bentley Way, encircling the home, unsure whether there was a victim inside or whether the man had hurt himself. The man finally surrendered to deputies once his father approached the home, and he was taken into custody, handcuffed.

Immediately after, deputies swiftly entered the home to confirm there were no other victims.

It turns out also there was no gun; but the young man was “disturbed,” according to sheriff’s Lt. Belinda McCastle.

No charges are expected, as the unidentified man committed no crime, McCastle said.

Before the peaceful ending, there were some tense moments. As deputies raced to the scene, 911 operators attempted to call the man. He answered once and hung up; moments later he called 911 and then hung up.

Soon after, the man threw a phone out a window, signaling he wasn’t willing to talk with authorities. That led sheriff’s negotiators to use a loudspeaker to try and open communications.

The negotiator, Detective Bo Turner, told the man he wasn’t in any trouble, but the deputies wanted to make sure he was safe. They encouraged him to come out of the house with his hands up.

At one point the man communicated briefly with Turner, and allowed deputies to come onto the house’s front porch to deliver a phone.

Minutes later, the man’s father was led to the house by deputies and the man surrendered. Officials confirmed they encouraged the man’s parents to “get some help” for their son.

login to post comments