Armed man attempts suicide by cop at Schenectady newspaper office

Sad to see, and frightening as well. Who knows how many nutjobs are out there that want to harm media organizations:

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/oct/09/1009_shooting/

 

Totally outing myself here, but this is my shop, and this needs to be clear: the guy wasn't specifically targeting us for any reason, he was just a messed-up guy from the nearby neighborhood. I'm not sure if he even knew where he was, or cared.

 

It might be too soon to say this, but your security guard needs to be fired, yesterday.

 

It's one of the (many) sad aspects of the whole thing. He's such a nice, charitable person that he lost sight of what the definition of the job is.

 

Wait, the cop was within 20 feet, fired off four rounds and only hit him three times?

 

Adrenaline is a helluva drug.

 

Glad all the employees were OK.

Newspaper buildings are often in crap neighborhoods because 1) the paper is one of the oldest businesses in town and the neighborhood went to hell around it, or 2) industrial zoning is required to have the printing press on-site.

And of course, as corporate suits cut costs, one of the first things to go is security. Because why pay someone to protect the employees when the publisher has gone home?

Given these things, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

 

He should have been popped in the head. No reason for him to live.

 

Security guard? What is that. We don't even have a receptionist now. Never had any type of security. All doors are unlocked at all times. The powers that be want the readers to feel like they can come on in, and they do ... usually on deadline. It was a few months ago that some pissed off drug dealer came in here raising hell with people because we had a story about his arrest. I wasn't in the office at the time, but it wasn't pretty.

 

You should send the powers that be a link to this story. Then ask the publisher if he leaves the doors at his house unlocked, as well.

 

The cop was 5 feet away. The guy made his move when the cop's partner went to open the door for the backup guys who showed up with the tasers.