Bank "ambush" gone bad. Bandit dies. Suicide by LEO

[PatMcGroyne]

Leave it to the "Ultimate Authority" -- The Press -- to get all the good facts included!! (Supposed to be a bank-cam video of this but it wouldn't load)

"With his pockets stuffed with .50-caliber handgun ammo and carrying a bag filled with dozens of 9 mm rounds, an un-named gunman walked into the U.S. Bank on Main Street in Burney at 12:14 p.m. Tuesday.

He pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a customer's head and pulled the trigger.

The gun misfired. Still without saying a word, the gunman pulled back the slide on the black 9 mm Smith & Wesson and fired again, shooting Timothy Kersten, 53, of Burney in the mouth.

Remarkably, Kersten didn't die, but managed to get into his car and began driving west toward Redding. He was hoping to make it to an emergency room.
Firefighters took him to a Redding hospital, where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday.
Next the gunman walked up to a teller and told her to give him some money. She did.

Then he asked the terrified teller whether she had activated the bank's holdup alarm. She said no. He told her to push it.
The first officer to arrive in response to the bank alarm was Shasta County sheriff's Sgt. Marc St. Clair. He got there within minutes.

Shots from the gunman's silver .50-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver boomed, breaking out the bank's glass storefront and hitting St. Clair's truck.


Meanwhile, as backup
and SWAT team members
from Redding continued
to arrive, the gunman
fired at least two more
volleys through the front
window. The bullets from
the cannonlike .50-caliber
ripped 2-inch entrance
holes in the sheet-metal
bodies of patrol cars.

In total, at least 21 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition
were fired. He shot the 9 mm at least 11 times. "
[The "story" continues. Just A SINGLE customer with carry right could
have ended this promptly -- Oh, yeah, I forgot: this was in Kalipornia.] Pat

 

[esrice]

The gun misfired. Still without saying a word, the gunman pulled back the slide on the black 9 mm Smith & Wesson and fired again, shooting Timothy Kersten, 53, of Burney in the mouth.

I'm curious if this was truly a misfire, or if the perp simply forgot to load a round in the chamber before entering the bank.

Why is this piece written like a bad movie script?

 

[Scutter01]

I'm curious if this was truly a misfire, or if the perp simply forgot to load a round in the chamber before entering the bank.

Well, given that his extra ammo was apparently loose in a bag instead of loaded into magazines, I'm gonna go with the second one.

 

[Chance]

How long would it take you to draw and fire versus standing there and watching this guy cycle his slide?

 

[finity]

How long would it take you to draw and fire versus standing there and watching this guy cycle his slide?

Even if you (stupidly) didn't have a gun on you why just stand there like a sheep & let him rack the slide & shoot you in the face?

Do something...anything...run away if you must but don't just stand there & get shot.

 

[OneBadV8]

The bullets from
the cannonlike .50-caliber
ripped 2-inch ENTRANCE
holes in the sheet-metal
bodies of patrol cars.

.50 Cal with 2-inch entrance holes? wow... be more like a 200 caliber.

 

[flagtag]

Even if you (stupidly) didn't have a gun on you why just stand there like a sheep & let him rack the slide & shoot you in the face?

Do something...anything...run away if you must but don't just stand there & get shot.

I was thinking the same thing! Kick him, hit him (with anything), run, hide (if possible), DO SOMETHING besides just standing there!

After all, the guy made it clear enough that he wanted to kill the man.

 

[IndyGunworks]

double tap.... sorry... see below

 

[IndyGunworks]

.50 Cal with 2-inch entrance holes? wow... be more like a 200 caliber.

a .223 can leave up to 1/2 inch entrance holes through automotive sheet metal.... seems legit to me

 

[HandK]

Yes It was clear that he wanted to take his life, so when the gun went click there would be a fight for my life, his nads would have been in his adams apple to start with!!

 

[T-rav]

Dont worry fella just another reason for "gun control" That bad criminal wouldnt of been able to buy a gun if we had gun control or so they say

 

[PatMcGroyne]

" [citation needed] " Not to doubt you, but . . . . . .

. . . .that would be one Helluva wobble! Can you show it? My .50 AE puts a 1-inch entry holes in cinder-block, but sheet metal?? Never shot any . . . . .yet. Pat

a .223 can leave up to 1/2 inch entrance holes through automotive sheet metal.... seems legit to me

 

[aikidoka]

I'm surprised the teller didn't at least run when the first trigger pull didn't work. I hope he recovers fully.

 

[rambone]

Here's the full text, and link. It happened in Burney, CA, if you were wondering.

Calif. officer's single shot killed bank robber who held hostages


BURNEY, Calif. — Police are calling a 47-year-old Burney man's shooting spree from inside a bank an orchestrated attack that left them no choice but to fire back.

"This was a clear, calculated ambush situation for officers and deputies," Redding police Lt. Scott Mayberry said Wednesday at a news conference.

Though many details are still unclear because bank tellers remained traumatized and the two customers the man shot have been in surgery, police say this is what they know:

With his pockets stuffed with .50-caliber handgun ammo and carrying a bag filled with dozens of 9 mm rounds, the gunman walked into the U.S. Bank on Main Street in Burney at 12:14 p.m. Tuesday.

He pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a customer's head and pulled the trigger.

The gun misfired.

Still without saying a word, the gunman pulled back the slide on the black 9 mm Smith & Wesson and fired again, shooting Timothy Kersten, 53, of Burney in the mouth.

Remarkably, Kersten didn't die.

Instead, bleeding from a wound in his neck, the Burney dentist managed to walk out of the bank. Witnesses said later that he appeared calm or in shock.

Kersten got into his car and began driving west toward Redding. He was hoping to make it to an emergency room.

He got only as far as the Burney fire station, just a few hundred feet down the street. Firefighters took him to a Redding hospital, where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday.

Shooting Kersten was just the start.

Next the gunman walked up to a teller and told her to give him some money.

She did.

Then he asked the terrified teller whether she had activated the bank's holdup alarm.

She said no. He told her to push it.

At some point around the time the alarm went off, the gunman fired again at another customer, Gloria Brown, 68, hitting her in the wrist with a 9 mm bullet.

The Burney woman would lie bleeding for three hours until two sheriff's deputies took the gunman down.

Brown also was listed in serious condition Wednesday.
The first officer to arrive in response to the bank alarm was Shasta County sheriff's Sgt. Marc St. Clair. He got there within minutes.

Shots from the gunman's silver .50-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver boomed, breaking out the bank's glass storefront and hitting St. Clair's truck.

St. Clair immediately called for backup, and dozens of on- and off-duty deputies, Redding police and California Highway Patrol officers flooded the town. They were joined by agents with the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the FBI.

As action inside the bank escalated, one employee inside was in the middle of a conference call with co-workers at its Redding office.

The co-workers heard gunshots over the telephone and notified authorities.

The employee on the telephone locked herself in the bank's ATM room, where she called 911 and gave dispatchers information about how many people were inside the bank and other details.

Meanwhile, as backup and SWAT team members from Redding continued to arrive, the gunman fired at least two more volleys through the front window.

The bullets from the cannonlike .50-caliber ripped 2-inch entrance holes in the sheet-metal bodies of patrol cars.

In total, at least 21 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition were fired. He shot the 9 mm at least 11 times.

The volleys disrupted noontime business at the Hovis Ace Hardware next door to the bank, said Darrin Kaczorowski, 42, the store's manager.

"We heard all the gunshots," he said. "(They were) pretty good pops."

He said he, a worker and four or five customers took cover inside the store after locking the front and back doors during the standoff. Later, he opened the doors to let police move through the building to get into position around the bank.

Given the danger to officers and the public, SWAT team members were ordered to fire if they had a clear shot that wouldn't hurt any of the women inside.

The opportunity came after 3 p.m.

Two sheriff's SWAT deputies saw the suspect through a window. He was moving aggressively toward the women. They fired at him at least three times. One shot hit him in the chest.

SWAT medics, including armed volunteer Dr. Jesse Wells, were among the dozens of officers who responded to the bank.

He treated the gunman's wound and continued to treat him in the ambulance that drove him to Mercy Medical Center in Redding. The medics also patched up Brown before she was taken to Mayers Memorial Hospital in Fall River Mills.

Bad weather prevented using a helicopter to move the wounded to the hospital.

Officials say it's doubtful a medical flight would have made much difference to the gunman as his wound appeared to be mortal.

He died Tuesday evening at Mercy.

An autopsy report Wednesday afternoon listed the man's cause of death as a single shot to his chest.

The gunman's name hasn't yet been released, pending notification of family members.

The two deputies who shot the man remain on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shooting cases.

Meanwhile, Redding police, who are handling the investigation, kept several blocks of Highway 299 through Burney closed Wednesday morning as investigators collected evidence and took photographs in and around the U.S. Bank branch.

The highway reopened to traffic about 2 p.m. Eastbound traffic was diverted to the center lane. Westbound traffic had no restrictions in Burney while the eastbound lane remained closed for the ongoing investigation.

Yellow crime scene tape and orange traffic cones still marked a perimeter around the bank within which police worked into Wednesday evening.

Traffic trickled by as many motorists slowed to look at the bullet-battered Shasta County sheriff's SUV still parked in front of the bank. Another SUV was left behind the bank next to an armored SWAT truck and a red full-sized pickup - small orange cones marking evidence surrounded all three trucks.

Inside the bank the lights were still on including colorful strands decorating its Christmas tree.

Burney residents Wednesday talked about Tuesday's standoff and shooting in the grocery line, at the cafe counter and in front of the deli counter.

The small town an hour's drive east of Redding was still shaken by the dramatic scene of a SWAT team and the crushing roar of .50-caliber gunfire.

Lisa Wilburn, 19, said the shooting left the town of 3,000 people on edge.

"That was a pretty big thing to happen in Burney," she said.

Rumors swirled around town about who the gunman might have been and whether he had help.

Sgt. Bruce Bonner of the Redding Police Department said investigators were taking any tips seriously as they investigated the shooting and robbery, but it appeared Wednesday afternoon that the gunman acted alone.

"There is no indication that he came with anyone else," Bonner said.

 

[PatMcGroyne]

Did he buy it.....or steal it???

Makes one wonder.......

Dont worry fella just another reason for "gun control" That bad criminal wouldnt of been able to buy a gun if we had gun control or so they say