Fla. Hostage Standoff Ends in Suicide

[ursavus.elemensis]

I always wondered about security at target ranges. With all those people in there who are armed, I just kind of wondered if their had ever been any incidents. I never heard of any until the news story shown below.

You got to wonder how a guy, even if he's armed, could actually manage to take hostages in a shooting range without getting filled with lead by the other folks at the range. IfI was at a range and someone announced a hold up, or tried to round people up, etc, I'd open fire on the guy long before putting down my weapons and being herded off like a lamb.


Fla. Hostage Standoff Ends in Suicide
By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer

TAMPA, Fla. - A gunman facing attempted murder charges barricaded himself inside an indoor shooting range with a group of hostages and held them for 10 hours before killing himself early Friday, authorities said. None of the hostages was hurt.

Jeffrey Lane Dudney, 43, of Tampa, went to the shooting range Thursday afternoon intending to steal a firearm and flee the area, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said.

When someone confronted him, Dudney took five people hostage, including the woman who owned the Shooting Sports Inc. gun store and range, Gee said.

"Every two or three minutes, he was threatening to start shooting people one by one," Gee said. "He was very agitated, very amped up."

During the standoff, Dudney could be seen holding a pistol to the head of hostages. He said he didn't want to go to prison, Gee said. Dudney released two hostages during the negotiations, but because of the number of guns and amount of ammunition inside, police didn't want to storm the building, authorities said.

Around 3 a.m., Dudney killed himself with a gunshot blast to the upper body, authorities said.

"He told us earlier he was contemplating suicide," Gee said.

Dudney had been released from the Hillsborough County jail Saturday on $150,500 bond while facing three counts of attempted murder, according to jail records. He had been accused of firing a gun at witnesses who followed him after he was involved in a crash, Gee said.

During the standoff, police asked media outlets to refrain from reporting any information about the situation for fear of further upsetting the gunman. The Associated Press and some others accommodated the request while the hostages were being held; others reported it on Web sites.

[Skuggi]

Well, this is prime reason for the gun laws we have with the background checks.

At first I had been scared that this was someone who would have been cleared by a background check.


Now if i was at the range it would depend, if i noticed after he had already had a hold and gun to the womans head, I wouldnt do anything that second. I might talk to the guy next to me if possible and tell him to take the shot if i can get him to take me as a hostage.

I have no good idea though, if i could somehow ambush him, or even try reasoning with him from within the range. I wasnt there so I have no clue of the surroundings etc.

Now if he walked in and was just waving a gun around I'm sure someone or multiple someones would have taken him out, but when he has a hostage then that changes everything.

[Kypt]

I've actually been to the place right next to this gun shop/range. It's a laser tag place I went to on vacation once.

The area surrounding it is not particularly...upscale, and I remember the gun store looking as though it was very run down.

It's also right down the road from Raymond James Stadium.

At least the kook did us all a favor and rid the world of himself. He's got quite the criminal record.

[ursavus.elemensis]

uh, wait a minute...

A guy comes in to a gun shop/target range with lots of armed people and he grabs a hostage, and no one, not one single other person opens fire on the guy? Look, I'm not the best shot, but I will NEVER put down my gun in the face of an armed threat to me or anyone else. And, if someone tries this at a range where I am shooting, I am opening fire. I'm not going to be held hostage by a man with a gun when I am standing there holding a gun in my hands.

[brian]

this sounds like this took place in the shop part of a range. with the exception of ccw's, how many shops allow loaded weapons in them?

everybody is saying they would have shot him, but when i go to the range, i'm not able/ready to fire till i'm on the line.
i would have to pull a gun from the bag, along with a magazine for it, i would then need to make sure i grabed the proper box of ammo from the bag, then load a mag.

and if you're on the line, with hearing protection, how can you tell what's going on in the shop? atleast till the hostigagaes have already been gathered up?