Skip to main content

tv   Caught on Camera  MSNBC  January 18, 2014 3:00pm-4:01pm PST

3:00 pm
brave officers caught in the line of fire. desperate criminals creating chaos. disturbed minds seeking vengeance. almost every day across the country, someone is staring down the barrel of a gun. and somewhere, somehow, the cameras are rolling.
3:01 pm
hello. i'm contessa brewer. welcome to "caught on camera." you're about to see some incredible stories of courage under fire as we explore one of the most dangerous scenarios a person can face. a close encounter with a gun. we must warn you. many of the images you're about to see are violent and disturbing. a disturbed man unleashes terror on a school board, firing on the group in point-blank range. >> this is a -- >> please don't. please don't. please. >> december 14th, 2010, the bay
3:02 pm
district school board in panama city, florida, is in the middle of its regular meeting. >> we'd been talking about head lice. some of the mundane things we have to deal with. >> we were making really bad jokes like, this is nitpicky or this bugs me. i mean, we made really bad jokes. >> but the lighthearted mood is about to change. a man walks over to the wall and spray paints the letter "v" inside a circle. at first, the board members aren't quite sure what's happening. >> we were just all kind of in shock. i mean, we -- i didn't know what to think. >> but when the man turns to face the board, revealing a gun in his hand, there's no mistaking his intentions. >> i motion that everybody in this room except those behind the counter, hit the road. leave. you may leave. you may leave.
3:03 pm
>> the room clears out. and local television crews who happen to be covering the meeting leave, too. but their cameras are still recording. six men are ordered to remain. >> looking in his eyes, you could see he had a confident, cocky look. like, i'm in charge now. and i know he was going to shoot. i knew he was going to use that gun. >> board member ginger littleton is on her way to the side door exit. but she can't bring herself to leave. >> at that moment, i felt very strongly that in a few seconds he was going to begin shooting, and i had the option of leaving and feeling guilty that i left them to their death, or trying to do something. >> littleton tries to knock the gun out of the man's hand with the only weapon she has, her purse.
3:04 pm
she fails, and is left at the gunman's mercy. but he lets her go. >> this man had some scruples and so he spared me and said, you stupid -- and called me a name, which probably at that point i deserved at least the stupid part. >> with littleton out of the way, the gunman now confronts the remaining board members. >> i'm going to die today. >> can we talk for a minute? >> i've already been in prison. >> the gunman, 56-year-old clay duke, had served four years for threatening his ex-wife with two guns. the issue now, his current wife who taught at a local elementary school was not offered a full-time position. >> you see, our benefits have run out. >> please explain to us, sir. just explain to us. >> we had no idea what he was talking about. i didn't know if his wife was a
3:05 pm
teacher, bus driver, or worked in the cafeteria. >> board member jerry register appeals to the gunman's sympathy. >> i've got a great wife. i've been married to her 40 years. i've got two great boys. just please, just talk to us. if i can help you get your wife a job somewhere else, i'll be glad to do that. >> with us talking to him, it gave us some more time. we knew there was help coming. >> the meeting is actually streaming live on the school board's website. horrified staff members contact local authorities. meanwhile, school security chief mike jones peeks through the back door to gauge the situation. >> my focus was on seeing if there was one or more shooters in that room and what i was going to be up against. >> come on in. >> the gunman was positioned perfectly for a hostage situation as far as using us basically as a shield. >> jones, a former member of the
3:06 pm
local police s.w.a.t. team races to his vehicle to get his gun and a bulletproof vest. husfelt keeps the gunman talking, displaying remarkable calm and command. >> if you're going to kill yourself or kill us, at least let us know what's going on. i'll be very honest with you. i swear, i don't know who your wife is or what she did. i don't. >> i was thinking to myself the whole time, okay, i am pretty sure i'm going to get shot. if i get shot, and i get killed, i know where i'm going, and i think that's what gave me the peace to remain calm. >> for husfelt, talking means living, and that means talking about anything. during one surreal moment, he finds himself in a debate over tax policy. >> you said we don't need no taxes. >> no, that's not what we said. >> then as soon as you gutted the school system, then you turned around and said, oh, now we just have sales tax again. >> i said we need to have sales
3:07 pm
tax very the from the very beginning. i campaigned on that. oh, yes i did. you can look on the material. >> only a politician would argue with a man when he's got a gun holding on you about something that you did politically. >> sensing the talk is wearing thin, husfelt begs for his colleagues' lives while offering to sacrifice his own. >> i'm the one that signed the paper, right? okay. i don't remember, and i don't know who she is, but let them go. i'm the one that did it. i mean, they don't sign the papers. i'm the only one that signs them. will you let them go? >> but the gunman won't give an inch. >> i've got a feeling what you want is the cops come in and kill you because you say you're going to die today. but why? this isn't worth it. this is a problem -- please don't. please don't. please. >> duke opens fire on the school
3:08 pm
board from point-blank range. but suddenly, shots ring out from the back of the room. it's the security chief mike jones. >> i saw his arm come up in my direction. and when that happened, i dove down behind the chairs and he fired five or six rounds at me and i fired four rounds at him. just as i was about to engage him again, he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. >> clay duke is dead. miraculously, board superintendent bill husfelt emerges from behind his desk unharmed. >> mike, they're not real, i don't think. i think it's -- he had caps, mike. >> but the bullets were very real. somehow, they missed the board members and the superintendent completely.
3:09 pm
>> when i heard his voice and saw him, to be honest with you, it was a miracle. >> the gunman's first shot that appears to hit husfelt actually hits a notebook on the table in front of him. >> the bullet lodged in the notebook, but the notebook hit me and the concussion of the shot going through there threw up a bunch of paper. so i thought i was shot. i went down to the ground. and i'm laying on the ground and i thought, i know i've been shot and i'm pretty sure it's supposed to hurt more than this. that's what he wanted right there, mike. i knew it. >> you okay, bill? >> i'm fine. >> are you okay? >> i'm fine. >> with gun smoke still hanging in the air, mike jones doubles over, physically and emotionally overwhelmed. >> i was waiting for my backup. >> it's like i had just finished a five-mile run and all i'd run was 13 seconds.
3:10 pm
>> in the days that follow, reports reveal a facebook page under the gunman's name that features anti-government rhetoric and the same red "v" symbol that duke drew at the meeting. along with references to the film "v for vendetta" whose main character rebels against an oppressive regime. profiles of duke also suggest he may have struggled with bipolar disorder. >> obviously, he didn't know everything he was talking about and was very confused. and he was ill and his family, i feel so sorry for the family having to deal with this. >> the board members and jones are hailed for their courage but seeing the video of the incident for the first time brings up painful memories. >> i had not seen the superintendent beg for his life. please don't. please don't. i never heard him say that. and that was the first time and it makes me teary eyed to think about that now, you know, that he was in that position. >> as the weeks pass, those
3:11 pm
involved try their best to come to terms with the encounter, and get back to normal. >> i went home and planned christmas dinner. >> ginger littleton's daring handbag assault inspires a cult following on the internet and also some harsh criticism from a contributor on facebook. >> i shot back an e-mail and said, when you walk in my shoes, you can make a comment, otherwise, i'm old enough to be your grandmother, so shut up. >> as tragic as the day was, those who lived through it are convinced the series of events that saved their lives is nothing short of a miracle. >> people can make their decisions, judgments any way they can. but i was there. i was in that room. >> god was wrapped all around that room that day. that's all i can say. coming up -- a gunman terrorizes a trailer park. when "caught on camera: shots fired" continues. my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix.
3:12 pm
before chantix, i tried to quit probably about five times. it was different than the other times i tried to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix, and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery.
3:13 pm
common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual dreams. my quit date was my son's birthday, and that was my gift for him and me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and that was my gift for him and me. [ female announcer ] no matter the occasion..., your home's the place everyone gathers. so be ready with a stouffer's lasagna. it's the mouthwatering recipe that keeps them coming back. stouffer's. made with care for your family. woman: welcome to learning. spanish in the car.c on. passenger: you've got to be kidding me. driver: this is good. woman: vamanos. driver & passenger: vamanos. woman: gracias. driver & passenger: gracias. passenger: trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica. driver: mira entra y comprame unas papitas. vo: get up to 795 miles per tank in the tdi clean diesel. the volkswagen passat. recipient of the j.d. power appeal award, two years in a row.
3:14 pm
3:15 pm
a close range gun battle between police officers and a mentally ill man rages in mad river township, ohio. incredibly, all caught on camera. it's new year's day, 2011. a man calls 911 from a local trailer park saying that someone shot at him. >> somebody just shot through the house. >> is the person that shot through the house still there? >> i don't know. i don't want to look out. >> the call of shots fired 20 years ago, that was a rare occasion. today in the world we live in, shots fired is not an uncommon call. >> clark county sheriff's deputy suzanne hopper arrives at the scene and discovers what she
3:16 pm
believes are the shooter's footprints. she begins taking photographs, having no idea that an unstable, well-armed man waits in the next trailer. suddenly, a shot rings out. >> we've got -- i repeat, 69 is down. we have somebody armed here. >> deputy hopper has been shot. other officers respond, including clark county sheriff gene kelly who hired the deputy himself. >> i circled around and i saw her down. at this point, we had a man in that trailer. >> the shooter is 57-year-old michael ferryman, a resident of the trailer park with a history of mental health problems. he's barricaded himself inside his mobile home. >> i still got movement at the trailer as well. he just keeps looking out the window.
3:17 pm
>> cameraman don hatcher from wdtn in dayton finds a hiding place behind a tree to record the scene as it unfolds. >> it was a good spot. i could see everything. and i stayed there and nobody knew i was there. the cops couldn't see me and hopefully the guy with the gun couldn't see me either. >> sheriff kelly orders the shooter to surrender as officers set up a perimeter. but the gunman has a big advantage. deputy hopper is lying only feet from his trailer and it's impossible for the police to move in without drawing fire. >> we wanted to get suzanne out, but i did not want to have another person sacrifice their life to get her out. >> sergeant christopher clark who also knows the injured deputy well, is at the scene. >> it's almost a sense of panic. it's a friend of yours. someone you've worked side by side with. >> the shooter's girlfriend
3:18 pm
arrives and tries to persuade the gunman to give up. >> she called him. had a nickname. bubby, come out, come out. >> bubby, i love you. >> but her pleas go unanswered. >> he never responded. his only response was with his shotgun. >> he opens fire and an intense gun battle erupts. the exchange of fire from only a few yards apart is up close and personal. >> patrolman jeremy blum is hit in the arm. sheriff kelly scrambles into the line of fire and pulls the patrolman back to safety. >> i grabbed him, and pulled him back behind the camper to cover, and deputies continued to return fire.
3:19 pm
>> hold your fire! hold your fire! >> officers are ordered to cease-fire while patrolman blum receives medical attention and is airlifted to the hospital. as the team regroups, sheriff kelly tries one more time to convince ferryman to give himself up. >> come on out. throw your weapons down and your hands up. michael, it's time to stop. >> but there's no answer. a s.w.a.t. team and an armored vehicle move in, expecting another shoot-out. instead, they find the gunman already dead in his trailer from the exchange of fire. just outside is the lifeless body of deputy suzanne hopper. she's been shot in the head. >> it's just a crash of emotions.
3:20 pm
disbelief, anger, to some extent hatred. >> patrolman blum pulls through, but the loss of hopper, one of the squad's most beloved deputies, is a crushing blow. >> this is the worst day in my 24 years as a sheriff of clark county. >> the gunman, michael ferryman, had a history of mental instability and violence. in 2001, he was involved in another shoot-out with officers in another ohio trailer park. no one was hurt and ferryman was found not guilty by reason of insanity. fast forward to 2011 and ferryman is living at another campground, monitored by the county, but somehow gets ahold of a gun. >> we had no knowledge of that. and i'm still upset about that. >> hopper was a model officer and an active presence in the community.
3:21 pm
the outpouring of grief over her death is overwhelming. hundreds of squad cars from all over ohio join the procession to her funeral as local residents line the streets. >> the community came together. there were little children standing in the cold holding flags. people had their hands on their hearts. >> seeing people line the streets with flags and saluting us will stick with me forever. >> thousands of officers attend hopper's service as messages of sympathy pour in from all over the u.s. and a dozen foreign countries. >> it has been unbelievable, the support, the outpouring. her legacy of service and commitment will live on. coming up, a crack shot sniper blasts a gun right out of a man's hands. when "caught on camera: shots fired" continues. ♪
3:22 pm
[ male announcer ] to truck guys, the truck is everything. and when you put them in charge of making an unbeatable truck, good things happen. this is the ram 1500. the 2014 motor trend truck of the year. ♪ and first ever back-to-back champion. guts. glory. ram. i'm bethand i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can.
3:23 pm
so ally bank has a that won't trap me in a rate. that's correct. cause i'm really nervous about getting trapped. why's that? uh, mark? go get help! i have my reasons. look, you don't have to feel trapped with our raise your rate cd. if our rate on this cd goes up, yours can too. oh that sounds nice. don't feel trapped with the ally raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally. i have the flu, i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] nope, they don't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. [ dog whine ] but alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. get it! [ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, try alka-seltzer plus for fast liquid cold and flu relief.
3:24 pm
[ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, when jake and i first set out on we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals.
3:25 pm
a suicidal standoff comes to a peaceful end thanks to the incredible skill of a long-range sniper. it's a hot august day in columbus, ohio, 1993. a man has taken over a busy intersection with a handgun and a lawn chair. officers secure the area, blocking off the intersection as local tv news crews roll tape. the columbus police s.w.a.t. team and then-sergeant david wood arrive at the scene. gunman douglas connolly is threatening to kill himself after being dumped by his girlfriend. >> he didn't want to live any longer, and please bring her to us so he can talk with her and when people usually do that, they are saying good-bye. they either do it right there in front of them or shortly after.
3:26 pm
>> former sergeant kevin king, a hostage negotiator at the time, is called in to talk down the gunman. his strategy? tire him out with the help of a hot summer day. >> he was going to get tired. he was going to need to use the restroom. those kind of things would mount and over a period of time, he might come to his own conclusion to come out of the intersection. >> king has a few psychological tricks up his sleeve to get inside the suspect's head. >> he put himself in a position where he appeared to be in control and as time went on, he realized he was in a situation where he had virtually no control whatsoever. >> the gunman gets thirsty and asks for a cold can of coke. but to let him know who's really in charge, king gives him a warm 7-up. the can spills all over the place when he opens it. >> and that exchange, he did get something to drink but then he also realized he could only get
3:27 pm
what we would give him. >> the gunman wants to see his ex-girlfriend, but a confrontation with her could turn violent. king actually knows where the girlfriend is and his team has been gathering information from her. but he's not about to let the gunman talk to her. >> he pretty much had isolated himself in the middle of this particular intersection and he had no way to verify what we were telling him. he had no phone. he couldn't leave the intersection. >> as time passes, connolly gets more upset and police worry he could pull the trigger. >> i remember one time he stood up and he was animated with his hands, talking, but he had the gun in his hand and pointed it towards kevin's way, which was towards my way. and actually the three of us were kind of ducked down behind the cruiser thinking he was going to shoot at us. >> the s.w.a.t. team has snipers positioned in a group of trees roughly 80 yards away. with the gunman getting agitated, the head of the unit suggests a bold move.
3:28 pm
shooting the suspect's gun out of his hand. >> i kind of remembered laughing and saying, there's no way they're going to do that. we've never -- we've never even discussed something like that. >> the three of us set up there at the time unanimously said, yes, it can be done. >> s.w.a.t. team member michael plumb, since retired, is one of the most accurate marksman in his unit at the time. he and his fellow officers are trained to hit a bull's-eye the size of a dime from 100 yards away. >> you had to hit a 95 percentile. this is with a pistol and a rifle. if you missed, you were out. >> mike is a crack shot. he could shoot the eye out of a canary a couple hundred yards. if he said he could do it, we knew he could do it. >> the circumstances are almost perfect for plumb to pull off the daring move. between angry rants, a sad calm comes over the gunman. he often sits very still with the gun dangling between his legs. >> he's holding it loosely in his hand.
3:29 pm
these revolvers weigh, the .38 revolvers, they weigh a little bit. and he's out there for two, three hours hanging on to this thing. >> with his knowledge of ballistics, plumb can even predict where the shrapnel from connolly's gun will go. away from the gunman. >> if i hit it right where the cylinder snaps into the front of the frame, the shrapnel from the bullet would be absorbed by the rounds and inside the cylinder. >> but the head of the s.w.a.t. team takes his time before making a final decision. >> i'm pretty sure he mulled it over or thought about it for quite some time. >> finally, plumb's boss gives the go-ahead. plumb pauses for a brief moment. the gunman is still moving. >> just as soon as he lowered that gun, the same way he always had, back of his palm facing out and the gun facing down, that was it. >> the shot hits the mark dead on target. >> it peeled the gun right out
3:30 pm
of his hand. there was nothing he could do to hold on to it and split it into about three different pieces. >> his gun immediately just exploded. >> the gunman is completely shocked. >> he's just sitting there looking and he had the most dumbfounded look on his face. it was like he didn't know where up was or where down was. >> wood takes advantage of connolly's surprise and tackles him to the ground. >> i rolled him over and he had a little cut on his chin and he had little cuts on his fingers, i think, from a little bit of the shrapnel. i said, see, man, we didn't want to hurt you. and he said, that was a great shot. >> douglas connolly is taken into custody and spends just 16 days in jail for inducing panic. >> did you expect them to shoot you? >> sniper michael plumb's perfect shot is all over the news. and plumb receives a special tribute from his fellow s.w.a.t. team members.
3:31 pm
>> they surprised me with pieces of the gun. wired them together the best they could, and mounted them on a plaque and put it on the wall here. >> i always called it ice water in his veins. nothing bothered him. that's how he was that day. nothing bothered him. >> plumb credits the entire squad for the positive outcome. >> it was a team effort. i mean, they surrounded him. they contained him. and they made it happen. hot august afternoon and everybody gets to go home. it was a good day. coming up, a barroom fist fight turns into an all-out gun fight caught on surveillance video. when "caught on camera: shots fired" continues. [announcer] word is getting out. purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow.
3:32 pm
isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. suddenly you're a mouth breather. a mouth breather! how do you sleep like that? you dry up, your cold feels even worse. well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip, and pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. sleep. add breathe right to your cold medicine. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. we're gonna be late. ♪
3:33 pm
♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ but there are some places even mr. clean doesn't want to lug a whole bunch of cleaning supplies. that's why he created the magic eraser extra power. just one eraser's versatile enough to clean all kinds of different surfaces and three times more grime per swipe. so instead of fussing with rags and buckets, you can get back to the great outdoors, which can be pretty great. that's why when it comes to clean, there's only one mr. [ bird screeches ]
3:34 pm
i'm my lisa reburger. part of i-65 has been shut
3:35 pm
down after an accident there. there are no reports of fatalities and only minor injuries so far. former nfl star darren sharper has been arrested on suspicion of rape in los angeles. police say the five-time pro bowl defensive back is being investigated in connection with at least three sexual assaults. sharper is suspended as an analyst at the nfl network. back to "caught on camera. " welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. in a gun fight, the difference between life and death is often measured in millimeters. in this next story, multiple gunmen engage in a violent standoff at close range. the video is both incredible and disturbing. and wait until you hear the story. caught on camera, a small bar in the midwest turns into a scene
3:36 pm
out of the wild west. [ gun fire ] october 8th, 2009, a lively night at a bar in toledo, ohio. a surveillance video shows marquese robbins ordering some drinks from the bartender. the bartender sees him pull out a bag of marijuana. he calls the bouncer over to remove the customer. >> there are cameras up there. i am not going to lose my job over this bull [ bleep ]. get out. >> but robbins won't leave. he and the bouncer start to have words and a fight breaks out. 38-year-old lashon sawyer is the cook at the bar.
3:37 pm
the video shows sawyer walking back to the kitchen as patrons exit through the rear door. while he's there, he says he makes a shocking discovery. >> as i was going over to close the back door, there was actually a gun on the floor. it stopped the door from closing all the way. >> sawyer feels he can't just leave the gun there, so he says he picks it up. >> my intention was to take it to the bartender. that's who runs the place. >> meanwhile, a security camera at the bar's entrance shows customers running out after the fight. >> the bouncer is able to get robbins to leave, but he still lingers outside. >> the guys out front were still arguing with chris. he was standing in the doorway. a lot of threats were being said and stuff. >> robbins has a gun and walks up to the bar door. another man with robbins also has a handgun. as robbins looks inside the bar, word spreads that he's armed.
3:38 pm
that's when lashon sawyer returns from the kitchen with the gun he says he found. >> just as i'm about to enter the bar, i hear, he's got a gun. now, for a split second, i thought they were talking about me. but everybody was running toward me, trying to get past me to go out of the back door. >> with the gun drawn, sawyer moves toward the door. yet another gunman has his weapon drawn racing for a fight. >> there was someone else on my left who was at the point of the pool table. >> robbins moves in and then starts to fire. [ gunfire ] the second gunman from outside joins in the fight. the shootout rages at close range. the gunman next to sawyer by the pool table and the second shooter outside are never identified. as the blasts ring out, sawyer
3:39 pm
scrambles for cover under the pool table. >> that first shot when he finally got one off, it actually hit the pool table. when i put my head up, it hit me right next to the side of my head. it hit right there on the corner of the pool table. >> after several volleys, sawyer crawls back to the kitchen area, lucky to be alive. >> that was the craziest thing i've ever seen. you know, it was like watching something on tv. >> but the confrontation isn't over yet. the video shows marquese robbins walking back into the bar toward the kitchen area where he confronts sawyer face to face with his gun. >> he says, hey, you shooting back at me? and he raises his arm, and i dash out of the back door. >> thankfully, robbins doesn't go after sawyer and leaves the bar. remarkably, not one person is
3:40 pm
known to have been injured in the shootout. over the next few days, the video of the shooting makes national news. >> patrons ran for their lives as bullets flew. we're told it all started when a bar employee asked a man to leave after he was caught trying to sell marijuana. >> lashon sawyer contacts the police to tell them his story. he's the only shooter who authorities can locate in the days after the shooting. sawyer is charged with possession of a firearm in a liquor establishment. but he maintains the gun wasn't his. >> i mean, who else would contact the police detective in charge of a case before you even secure an attorney. obviously, i didn't have anything to hide. >> at sawyer's trial, the video plays a key role. witnesses praise sawyer for fending off the gunmen from outside. >> in their opinion, if it weren't for the actions of lashon, then people would be dead or injured.
3:41 pm
>> the trial ends in a hung jury. prosecutors agree to let sawyer take a state administered polygraph test to see if he's telling the truth about finding the gun in the bar. he passes and the charges are dismissed. the gunman who started the fight, marquese robbins, is eventually found and arrested. pleading no contest to two counts of felonious assault. sawyer is thankful the ordeal is over. >> america saw this video and thought, oh, god, here's another one. you know, here's a criminal. here's a -- i don't know, probably even said here's a gang member or something. but people that know me knew better. coming up, a high-speed chase leads to lethal force. when "caught on camera: shots fired" continues. as a business owner, i'm constantly putting out fires. so i deserve a small business credit card
3:42 pm
with amazing rewards. with the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally someone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards! meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry! which 4g lte map has the most coverage? this isn't real difficult... pretty obvious to me. i'm going to have to say verizon. verizon. that's right! the choice is obvious. verizon's superfast 4g lte network is over three times larger than any other 4g lte network. act now to get $100 or more off any smartphone when you trade in any smartphone on america's largest, most reliable 4g lte network. that's powerful. verizon. now get a free lg g2, with a 13-megapixel camera.
3:43 pm
3:44 pm
this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups. [dog] larrwanna play?arry?e they're light. [announcer] a healthy dog is a playful dog. [dog] let's do this larry. [announcer] help him keep those muscles while he loses a few pounds with beneful healthy weight. made with wholesome rice,real chicken,soy, even accents of vitamin rich veggies. it's calorie-smart and tastes so good. beneful healthy weight...from purina.
3:45 pm
a bank robbery in a small town leads to one big police chase. with a suspect who won't give up easily. >> shots fired! shots fired! >> october 30th, 2009, the town of exeland, wisconsin, is gearing up for halloween. janet gerber, a teller at the dairyland state bank, is nearing the end of her day when two young men enter wearing masks and carrying bags. but they're not looking for candy. >> i thought it was a halloween joke, a funny prank, until i had seen their gun come out of the bags. >> 20-year-old robert mccallie
3:46 pm
and 19-year-old steven willard jr. hold the teller at gunpoint and demand all of the money from the bank's vault. >> i knew that they meant business. i wasn't going to question or even argue or even try to say, no, i don't have a vault. i just did what they asked. >> gerber hands over $17,000, but the teller has a feeling the robbers won't have it for long. >> i knew that they were going to jail. i knew that they were going to get caught. i knew their lives that day were over. >> the teller notifies the authorities and jeremy peery gets word of the pursuit. then a field conservation warden at wisconsin's department of natural resources. >> they advised me that the bank had been robbed and that the suspects were last seen heading west out of town. >> peery learns the two robbers have jumped out of the getaway car and are fleeing on foot. the driver of the car, 50-year-old rudolf frenzer continues on with several
3:47 pm
officers on his tail. before long, warden peery has a gray four-door sedan in his sights. >> i assumed that that was probably the suspect vehicle. and my assumption was correct. >> copy, plate number 252, paul, john, john. >> rusk county deputies jeff wallace and riley comit are both in communication with peery and zeroing in on the suspect's location. >> i heard warden peery advise that he was in pursuit of the suspect vehicle, heading southbound in my direction. so i then took some back roads and tried to get over to the area where he was. >> peery chases the suspect at more than 100 miles an hour. when he makes a wide turn around a corner, the suspect's car goes into a ditch on the side of the road. the officer takes advantage. >> pull over! >> i was able to pull my squad truck alongside and prevent him
3:48 pm
from coming back on to the road. >> but the driver is not about to surrender and speeds off. a short way down the road, rudolf frenzer stops again. >> he slows down and pulls all the way over to the right-hand side. and then i pull up. instead of pulling up alongside him, i pull up right behind him. >> the officer gets out, draws his weapon and orders the guy out of his car. >> get out of the road! now! get out! >> but the driver puts the pedal to the metal once again. >> we just stopped. he slammed on the brakes, reverse. we're back in pursuit. >> as the chase continues around a sharp turn, the suspect ups the ante. >> when i came around the corner he had slowed down and was in the middle of the road. i could clearly see a large silver handgun he was pointing out of the driver's side portion of his car. >> he's got a gun. he's got a gun. >> he stops for a third time. this time to lose his pursuer once and for all.
3:49 pm
>> the car stops and the driver doesn't fully exit. he just turns around in the driver's seat. i can see him now pointing the gun at me again. >> as the warden throws his vehicle into reverse, the suspect opens fire. >> shots fired. shots fired. shots fired. he's hitting my truck. >> the warden's truck is hit, but he is unharmed. >> shots fired! shots fired! >> the suspect takes off in his car once again. but now deputies wallace and comit are also on his tail. >> he reported shots fired and that one of the rounds had shot his truck. >> the thought was we have to catch him before he gets to the village because it's time for the kids to get out of school. >> but the driver changes his route and turns off the main road. the other officers take the lead in the pursuit from warden peery. >> careful, guys, he's got a
3:50 pm
gun. >> deputy wallace maneuvers his vehicle to get the suspect off the road. >> and i forced him into the ditch area with my vehicle. >> off camera, deputy comit rams the suspect and his car is immobilized. but the driver won't wave the white flag. he pulls out his gun and starts blasting. >> i see deputy comit engage frenzer in gunfire. we were all screaming for him to put the gun down. we could see the gun. the gun was pointed in our direction. >> i know deputy wallace, warden peery, and myself had fired rounds. it was undetermined whose round killed frenzer at that time. >> after a heated exchange of fire, driver rudolf frenzer is killed at the scene. but the officers are all fine. authorities find guns, money and masks in the suspect's car confirming his link to the bank
3:51 pm
robbery. the two other suspects who left the getaway car are both arrested in the days that follow. steven willard jr. is sentenced to 70 months in prison for the robbery, while robert mccallie gets 12 years for the dairyland bank robbery and for robbing another bank in the area. >> it's not until afterwards the shakes start coming and you really realize the gravity of the situation you're in. >> since the incident, warden peery's dash cam video has been used as a training tool for other patrolmen. >> now when i sit back and i'm reviewing it in a training situation and with other folks, i have mixed feelings. i understand that those decisions had to be made and it had to end up the way it did because of frenzer's actions. but it still doesn't take away the fact that there is sorrow there. you had to take another person's life.
3:52 pm
coming up, a police precinct ambushed. when "caught on camera: shots fired" continues. [ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth. and it's clinically proven to be 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to bounty duratowel. [ male announcer ] even more impressive than the research this man has at his disposal is how he puts it to work for his clients. morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. come on in. [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing.
3:53 pm
[ male announcer ] it's how edward jones when jake and i first set out on we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup
3:54 pm
lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.®
3:55 pm
a brazen attack. a gunman walks into a police station and starts firing. january 23rd, 2011, it's a quiet sunday at a police precinct in detroit, michigan. commander brian davis pays a visit and speaks with his subordinate, sergeant ray satee. >> that particular weekend there was a few incidents that happened within my precinct that as a commanding officer i had to address. >> surveillance cameras cover two portions of the precinct's lobby. the area in front of the reception desk and the space
3:56 pm
behind the desk. 38-year-old lamar moore enters and walks slowly through the room. suddenly, he opens fire. >> i felt pain in my ear. i reached it. i see blood. >> sergeant sattee is grazed in the neck. officer david anderson who just started his shift, is shot in the forehead. >> just heard a very, very loud boom. felt like i was hit in the head with a baseball bat. lost my balance and went down. don't remember hitting the floor. >> off camera, sergeant terry schultz is also hit. >> i was shot center mass in my bulletproof vest. >> as commander davis crouches to avoid the gunman, he takes sergeant satee's gun and tries to fend off the attacker.
3:57 pm
>> i fired several shots after ducking down and looking back up, trying to use cover and conceal at the same time. >> officer theodore jackson also returns fire. then suddenly, lamar moore makes a running leap over the front desk landing close to commander davis. >> i didn't even see him jump over the desk. once i looked back up, he was right there in my face with a shotgun. at one point, we were probably no more than a foot and a half apart from each other. it was probably that close. >> moore shoots davis in the hand. and also hits him in the back. >> the gun i had, that was actually blown out of my hand. my hands are still injured because of that. >> somehow, the commander finds the strength to throw a garbage
3:58 pm
can at the gunman, hoping to distract him while he scrambles to safety. but lamar moore has also been shot. he falls to the floor, fatally wounded. officer david anderson and commander davis are rushed to the hospital. sergeant marcellus ball rides with the commander in the back seat of a squad car, struggling to stop the bleeding with his own shirt. >> i was just talking to him. and he wasn't responding. i was really, really nervous at that point. >> davis makes it to the hospital alive. he loses parts of his fingers from the gunshot to his hand, but he pulls through. sergeant satee, sergeant schultz and officer anderson also recover. >> i was cleaning gunpowder out of my ear to give you an idea how close that was. i have hearing damage in both ears due to that. >> authorities believe that gunman lamar moore's attack was a kind of suicide attempt, possibly motivated by a police investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. >> we are fairly confident that
3:59 pm
this was a suicide by cop because apparently the gig was up. we were on to him and that there were probably charges imminent. >> in the days after the shooting, detroit police chief ralph godbee releases the video to the media to show the extraordinary bravery of his officers in an unthinkable scenario. >> it's almost mind-boggling to have that level of professionalism and reaction in a situation that literally in nanoseconds changed everybody's lives. we have some of the greatest men and women in the country. >> the stories we've just seen are reminders of the danger involved when shots are fired. and they show the courage professionals and ordinary citizens can display when facing that danger. i'm contessa brewer. that's all for this edition of "caught on camera."
4:00 pm
these criminals may think no one's watching, but a powerful observer is recording every detail. >> just sat and watched this video with our mouths open. >> the tape closed this case, period. >> now see with your own eyes just what these victims endured. >> he just comes right over me and shoots me. >> i was trying to protect myself. >> the horror. >> is this guy going to kill me? >> the brutality. the fear. >> i'm not going to lie. it was a scary situation. >> "caught in the act." >> the defendant is guilty of murder in the first degree. >> caught red-handed. >> we, the jury, impose a sentence of death.

88 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on