PinnedAndRecessed
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Who writes this stuff, anyway? Did the reporter think they were going to stick around once the perp offed himself?
Hostage Situation at a Tampa Shooting Range
- Thread starter PPGMD
- Start date
- Status
Who writes this stuff, anyway? Did the reporter think they were going to stick around once the perp offed himself?
Shooting Sports Inc
I posted the above back on Feb. 12.
This doesn't surprise me that this would eventually happen.
They have a notice on the front door that even Concealed Permit holders must disarm.
I didn't notice it, and walked in with my 629 in my bellyband and my Smith 37 in my back pocket.
Being the first time there, I was handed a paper with thier "Rules". I read it and discovered
that I was in violation of this one rule. I spoke up about it and they said to take these bags
(plastic grocery bags) outside the front door and unload the firearms and then come back in.
So, there I was pulling out firearms in full view of Dale Mabry Hyw. opening up the cylinders
and dumping ammo into my hands so I could stuff them into my front pocket. The madness of this
struck me afterwards. I was waiting in line to go to the shooting booth, pissed that I had to do
something this dangerous.
My nephew was with me, we also had my Smith 65, which he wanted to try out. As we were waiting
in line I finally decided to leave without shooting, thinking I'll never go to a range that does
this. And to add to this, one of the employees (older fellow) piped up, loud enough for everybody
in the front that "THE RULES ARE CLEARLY POSTED ON THE FRONT DOOR!" This was totally unnessesary
and quite rude, which added to my anger. My nephew got the range fee back and we left. I'll never
go there again. They set themselfs up for an incident like this. Im not suprised at all.
I posted the above back on Feb. 12.
This doesn't surprise me that this would eventually happen.
They have a notice on the front door that even Concealed Permit holders must disarm.
I didn't notice it, and walked in with my 629 in my bellyband and my Smith 37 in my back pocket.
Being the first time there, I was handed a paper with thier "Rules". I read it and discovered
that I was in violation of this one rule. I spoke up about it and they said to take these bags
(plastic grocery bags) outside the front door and unload the firearms and then come back in.
So, there I was pulling out firearms in full view of Dale Mabry Hyw. opening up the cylinders
and dumping ammo into my hands so I could stuff them into my front pocket. The madness of this
struck me afterwards. I was waiting in line to go to the shooting booth, pissed that I had to do
something this dangerous.
My nephew was with me, we also had my Smith 65, which he wanted to try out. As we were waiting
in line I finally decided to leave without shooting, thinking I'll never go to a range that does
this. And to add to this, one of the employees (older fellow) piped up, loud enough for everybody
in the front that "THE RULES ARE CLEARLY POSTED ON THE FRONT DOOR!" This was totally unnessesary
and quite rude, which added to my anger. My nephew got the range fee back and we left. I'll never
go there again. They set themselfs up for an incident like this. Im not suprised at all.
RNB65
Member
At least the guy had the good sense not to harm anyone else before he killed himself. I'd call that a very happy ending.
QuarterBoreGunner
Member
jeez...I got serious chills reading that.
It has happened before.
It has happened before.
eric.cartman
Member
Sweet Jesus,
How in the world do you end up on the street after hit-and-run AND shooting at the witnesses?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :banghead:
:banghead:
How in the world do you end up on the street after hit-and-run AND shooting at the witnesses?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :banghead:
:banghead: Can you imagine the consternation of the SWAT team commander in this situation? The place is reinforced against robbery and he can't see in to get good intel. I'm glad they didn't have to try to force an entry. It sounds like it wouldn't have been easy or quick and God knows how many hostages he would have shot.
Hostage Situation Ends; Gunman Dead
Posted Apr 12, 2007 by Howard Altman
Updated Apr 13, 2007 at 02:45 PM
Members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and
Tampa Police SWAT teams leave after the standoff.
Tribune photo by Jay Conner
Photos | Video: Sheriff Gee Interview | News Channel 8 Video | Comment
Previous Report: Police Find Man, Gun Sought In Shooting
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Fearing prison, a desperate Jeffrey Lane Dudney prepared for death Thursday afternoon.
The first step: steal a gun.
Jeffrey Lane Dudney/HCSO image
That was the thought process that sparked a 10-hour standoff in which five hostages were taken inside a shooting range and gun shop on North Dale Mabry Highway. The hostages safely survived the night. Dudney, 43, did not.
He killed himself inside the Shooting Sports business with a gunshot wound to the temple. The shot came after he asked his hostages the best way to commit suicide. Would death be more certain from a gunshot to the temple or the forehead?
One hostage, who worked at the gun shop, suggested the temple, and the suicide was carried out.
All this happened in front of William “Chris” Perez, a 24-year-old Tampa man who thought his short life was coming to a violent end Thursday night as well. He’ll never forget the incident and feels lucky to be alive.
Perez and his buddy, Tim Bechard, 22, had gone to the range around 4 p.m. Thursday for some target practice and had packed up their guns, a revolver and 12-gauge shotgun, and returned to the office to hand over the goggles and ear protection.
That’s when they were grabbed from behind by Dudney, he said.
“He didn’t say too much,” Perez recalled outside his small Dexter Avenue home this afternoon. “At first, he was real mad. I thought he was going to shoot us … He said if we didn’t want to die, we had better lay down.”
Perez said Dudney told his hostages that he was facing prison time after a road rage arrest two weeks ago, in which he was charged with three counts of attempted homicide. He was free on $150,500 bail and did not want to go back to jail.
He had gone into Shooting Sports to rent a gun for target practice and had planned to walk out the door with it. He eventually used that handgun to end his life, Perez said.
But before Dudney could walk out the door, employees hit a panic alarm and deputies were on the scene in minutes. And the hostage situation began.
Dudney herded three customers including Perez and Bechard and a third man, John Murray, 33, Seffner and employees Mark Little, 57, Tampa and the shop’s owner, Margaret Flesche, 64, Tampa, into the office.
“He said he was facing life in prison,” Perez said, “and he had no problem with killing us and killing himself.”
Negotiators made contact with Dudney and he demanded 50 Xanax.
“He said he was addicted to Xanax and that it helped calm his nerves,” Perez said. He eventually released two hostages, Bechard and Murray, in exchange for the pills.
When police delivered only five pills, “he began flipping out,” Perez said.
Hostages stayed quiet and weren’t allowed to speak to each other. There was no television or radio in the office, he said. Time could not be gauged, he said. Occasionally, the hostage-taker would offer hope.
“He said if we cooperated and don’t do nothing crazy and if the cops didn’t do anything crazy, we all would be ok,” Perez said.
Negotiators were on the phone constantly with Dudney, Perez said, and at one point put his mother and brother on the phone, and that upset Dudney.
“He was cussing at them,” Perez said.
Initially, he wanted a car with which to make a getaway, Perez said, but an hour or so into the ordeal, Dudney realized he was not going to walk away from this. That’s when he started talking about suicide.
“He said that he wanted to die on his own terms and not on the police’s terms,” Perez said.
After 10 hours of captivity and the fateful questions about the best way to commit suicide, Dudney put the gun, which looked like a .45-caliber to Perez, to his temple and fired. He was 6 feet away from Perez and the other two hostages.
It was 3 a.m. Friday.
“I feel lucky to be alive,” Perez said. “I thought I was going to die.”
He goes to the shooting range about once a month and he and Bechard decided to go th the Shooting Sports range earlier Thursday. He doubts he’ll go back there ever again, he said.
“I just hope,” he said, “that nothing like this ever happens again.”
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 865-1504 or [email protected].
Posted Apr 12, 2007 by Howard Altman
Updated Apr 13, 2007 at 02:45 PM
Members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and
Tampa Police SWAT teams leave after the standoff.
Tribune photo by Jay Conner
Photos | Video: Sheriff Gee Interview | News Channel 8 Video | Comment
Previous Report: Police Find Man, Gun Sought In Shooting
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Fearing prison, a desperate Jeffrey Lane Dudney prepared for death Thursday afternoon.
The first step: steal a gun.
Jeffrey Lane Dudney/HCSO image
That was the thought process that sparked a 10-hour standoff in which five hostages were taken inside a shooting range and gun shop on North Dale Mabry Highway. The hostages safely survived the night. Dudney, 43, did not.
He killed himself inside the Shooting Sports business with a gunshot wound to the temple. The shot came after he asked his hostages the best way to commit suicide. Would death be more certain from a gunshot to the temple or the forehead?
One hostage, who worked at the gun shop, suggested the temple, and the suicide was carried out.
All this happened in front of William “Chris” Perez, a 24-year-old Tampa man who thought his short life was coming to a violent end Thursday night as well. He’ll never forget the incident and feels lucky to be alive.
Perez and his buddy, Tim Bechard, 22, had gone to the range around 4 p.m. Thursday for some target practice and had packed up their guns, a revolver and 12-gauge shotgun, and returned to the office to hand over the goggles and ear protection.
That’s when they were grabbed from behind by Dudney, he said.
“He didn’t say too much,” Perez recalled outside his small Dexter Avenue home this afternoon. “At first, he was real mad. I thought he was going to shoot us … He said if we didn’t want to die, we had better lay down.”
Perez said Dudney told his hostages that he was facing prison time after a road rage arrest two weeks ago, in which he was charged with three counts of attempted homicide. He was free on $150,500 bail and did not want to go back to jail.
He had gone into Shooting Sports to rent a gun for target practice and had planned to walk out the door with it. He eventually used that handgun to end his life, Perez said.
But before Dudney could walk out the door, employees hit a panic alarm and deputies were on the scene in minutes. And the hostage situation began.
Dudney herded three customers including Perez and Bechard and a third man, John Murray, 33, Seffner and employees Mark Little, 57, Tampa and the shop’s owner, Margaret Flesche, 64, Tampa, into the office.
“He said he was facing life in prison,” Perez said, “and he had no problem with killing us and killing himself.”
Negotiators made contact with Dudney and he demanded 50 Xanax.
“He said he was addicted to Xanax and that it helped calm his nerves,” Perez said. He eventually released two hostages, Bechard and Murray, in exchange for the pills.
When police delivered only five pills, “he began flipping out,” Perez said.
Hostages stayed quiet and weren’t allowed to speak to each other. There was no television or radio in the office, he said. Time could not be gauged, he said. Occasionally, the hostage-taker would offer hope.
“He said if we cooperated and don’t do nothing crazy and if the cops didn’t do anything crazy, we all would be ok,” Perez said.
Negotiators were on the phone constantly with Dudney, Perez said, and at one point put his mother and brother on the phone, and that upset Dudney.
“He was cussing at them,” Perez said.
Initially, he wanted a car with which to make a getaway, Perez said, but an hour or so into the ordeal, Dudney realized he was not going to walk away from this. That’s when he started talking about suicide.
“He said that he wanted to die on his own terms and not on the police’s terms,” Perez said.
After 10 hours of captivity and the fateful questions about the best way to commit suicide, Dudney put the gun, which looked like a .45-caliber to Perez, to his temple and fired. He was 6 feet away from Perez and the other two hostages.
It was 3 a.m. Friday.
“I feel lucky to be alive,” Perez said. “I thought I was going to die.”
He goes to the shooting range about once a month and he and Bechard decided to go th the Shooting Sports range earlier Thursday. He doubts he’ll go back there ever again, he said.
“I just hope,” he said, “that nothing like this ever happens again.”
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 865-1504 or [email protected].
A couple of local articles were opining that it seemed too easy to rent a gun, just show a drivers license and fill out a form. I'm sure the control freaks will come out and demand more regulations. Sounds like the system worked, for the most part. They identified the attempted theft immediately and police were there within minutes.
No even sure if open carry by the employees would have even stopped this. Sounds like he just walked up to a customer and put the gun to the back of his head with no warning. How could you prevent that? Shoot him, and hope his gun doesn't blow the hostage away? You'd have to sneak up behind him and wrestle the gun away from the guys head first I'd think.
No even sure if open carry by the employees would have even stopped this. Sounds like he just walked up to a customer and put the gun to the back of his head with no warning. How could you prevent that? Shoot him, and hope his gun doesn't blow the hostage away? You'd have to sneak up behind him and wrestle the gun away from the guys head first I'd think.
HOSTAGE JOHN
Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2007
- Messages
- 1
Hey Guys!!
Well Im Kinda New Too This (thr.org) But I Was 1 Of The Hostages During This Maylay, Anyways I Built A Rapport With This Guy & Between Me The Host. Neg. & The Dudney Guy I Was The 1 To Talk Too The Guy & Find Out He Took Xanax , So I Sent The Police To Get The ``prescribed`` Xanax From My Bookbag In My Car & Basically As A Couple Officers Told Me Probably Saved Lives **hostages & Possible Officers!!! If U Want My Story Let Me Know!! And Just A Little Crazy Fact April (4/13) Was The Hostage Nite.. Then 2+ Months Later Police Came & Arrested Me For Those Prescribed Meds At The End Of June (6/28) Give Or Take A Day Or 2 Now Tell Me That Not Truly F`ed Up??? I`ll Ask U Guys What Do U Think Of A Person Me That Builds A Rapport With This Guy With The Gun Gets 2 Of Us Out (but I Did Ask For Everbodys Release) And Ends Up Arrested..truly F`ed Up!!
Well Im Kinda New Too This (thr.org) But I Was 1 Of The Hostages During This Maylay, Anyways I Built A Rapport With This Guy & Between Me The Host. Neg. & The Dudney Guy I Was The 1 To Talk Too The Guy & Find Out He Took Xanax , So I Sent The Police To Get The ``prescribed`` Xanax From My Bookbag In My Car & Basically As A Couple Officers Told Me Probably Saved Lives **hostages & Possible Officers!!! If U Want My Story Let Me Know!! And Just A Little Crazy Fact April (4/13) Was The Hostage Nite.. Then 2+ Months Later Police Came & Arrested Me For Those Prescribed Meds At The End Of June (6/28) Give Or Take A Day Or 2 Now Tell Me That Not Truly F`ed Up??? I`ll Ask U Guys What Do U Think Of A Person Me That Builds A Rapport With This Guy With The Gun Gets 2 Of Us Out (but I Did Ask For Everbodys Release) And Ends Up Arrested..truly F`ed Up!!
Doggy Daddy
Member
Dude, I know you're trying to say something, but I just can't read it when Every Word Is Capitalized!!!
Pigspitter
Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 614
What was he holding them hostage with? a brick of c4? I'm confused why someone else with a gun didn't do anything. I mean, he couln't have drawn on more than one person.
myrockfight
Member
Went to that range once.
I went there once and never returned again. I am right there with Bob M. Knight's Shooting range in St. Petersburg has the same rule. While I can see their reasoning, I don't agree with trying to keep people with CWPs from carrying. Ridiculous.
Knight's can keep their overpriced range time, ammo, and guns. And to tell you the truth, the place on Dale Mabry creeped me out a little anyway. It was dark and not well kept.
I just moved to Cocoa Beach and found a nice little family owned range. The guy who owns/runs it is really nice, professional, and reasonable. I am also very happy to say that I don't have to deal with the traffic in Pinellas or Hillsborough county. There seems to be a lot more normal people here too.
My sister lives close to Ybor and I worry about her. She is getting her CWP this month along with her boyfriend - thankfully. Now they just have to get in a lot of practice!
Stay safe guys!
I went there once and never returned again. I am right there with Bob M. Knight's Shooting range in St. Petersburg has the same rule. While I can see their reasoning, I don't agree with trying to keep people with CWPs from carrying. Ridiculous.
Knight's can keep their overpriced range time, ammo, and guns. And to tell you the truth, the place on Dale Mabry creeped me out a little anyway. It was dark and not well kept.
I just moved to Cocoa Beach and found a nice little family owned range. The guy who owns/runs it is really nice, professional, and reasonable. I am also very happy to say that I don't have to deal with the traffic in Pinellas or Hillsborough county. There seems to be a lot more normal people here too.
My sister lives close to Ybor and I worry about her. She is getting her CWP this month along with her boyfriend - thankfully. Now they just have to get in a lot of practice!
Stay safe guys!
bluestarlizzard
Member
this thread freaked me out 'cause i thought this just happened (i know i know, i should have looked at the dates) and i was think "man, lots of bad stuff is happening, a mall shooting spree, a little kid gets shoot and a range gets held up by a mad man all in the last 2 or 3 days", then i relized that this happened in april.
anyhoo, i don't think i would support a gun shop/facility if they did not allow me to protect myself. in fact i would dislike going to a store that didn't ENCOARGE its costamers to be CCWers, and while i understand that they couldn't do this officially, unofficially the support should be there.
anyhoo, i don't think i would support a gun shop/facility if they did not allow me to protect myself. in fact i would dislike going to a store that didn't ENCOARGE its costamers to be CCWers, and while i understand that they couldn't do this officially, unofficially the support should be there.
sig228
Member
+1 on that!!!
Uggh...what a surprise. Take a little bit more. Maybe that'll correct some of your punctuation.
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