This is a local story and once again our utterly useless media talks out their collective misinformed and/or uncaring a$$es...............
Medical examiner: Catts shot himself in the head; gun did not have safety device
Investigation continues into standoff events
Poughkeepsie Journal • May 28, 2009
A day after a standoff with police, the Dutchess County medical examiner said the suspect died after shooting the gun in his mouth. Meanwhile, the Journal learned the gun did not have a safety device.
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Ken-Tweal Catts, 30, a convicted sex offender living in Hyde Park, was brought in for questioning about a rape when he attacked Detectives Matthew Burhans and Kurt Twadell. He grabbed a detective's gun, shot Burhans and barricaded himself in the sheriff's office for three hours before killing himself, according to the sheriff’s office.
The release of Twadell's name was one key development Thursday. Another was Dutchess County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber's announcement that Catts killed himself by putting the detective's gun he had grabbed in his mouth and firing a single shot, causing injuries to the medulla and upper part of the spine.
The gun did not have a safety, the sheriff's office said.
Reiber said she recovered a bullet she was told was a .40-caliber.
The full autopsy will be completed later today or early Friday and the body will then be released to the family, she said.
The other bullet grazed the right rear of Burhans' head. He was treated at St. Francis Hospital and released, said Undersheriff Kirk Imperati.
Imperati said Burhans and Twadell were debriefed today, and counseling was made available to sheriff's department staff members.
The sheriff's office also announced Detective Lt. Bruce Coneeny and Detective Sgt. Jason Mark of the sheriff’s office are overseeing the investigation. "We're taking statements from everyone involved," said Imperati.
The detectives were in plainclothes and carrying either model 22 or 23 .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic handguns. The guns were in side holsters attached to their belts with a snap across the top, he said.
Imperati could not say whose gun Catts obtained.
The incident occurred while the detectives were preparing to take Catts to court for arraignment. He had been notified that charges of first-degree rape, a class B felony, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a class A misdemeanor, would be brought against him, he said
Medical examiner: Catts shot himself in the head; gun did not have safety device
Investigation continues into standoff events
Poughkeepsie Journal • May 28, 2009
A day after a standoff with police, the Dutchess County medical examiner said the suspect died after shooting the gun in his mouth. Meanwhile, the Journal learned the gun did not have a safety device.
Advertisement
Ken-Tweal Catts, 30, a convicted sex offender living in Hyde Park, was brought in for questioning about a rape when he attacked Detectives Matthew Burhans and Kurt Twadell. He grabbed a detective's gun, shot Burhans and barricaded himself in the sheriff's office for three hours before killing himself, according to the sheriff’s office.
The release of Twadell's name was one key development Thursday. Another was Dutchess County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber's announcement that Catts killed himself by putting the detective's gun he had grabbed in his mouth and firing a single shot, causing injuries to the medulla and upper part of the spine.
The gun did not have a safety, the sheriff's office said.
Reiber said she recovered a bullet she was told was a .40-caliber.
The full autopsy will be completed later today or early Friday and the body will then be released to the family, she said.
The other bullet grazed the right rear of Burhans' head. He was treated at St. Francis Hospital and released, said Undersheriff Kirk Imperati.
Imperati said Burhans and Twadell were debriefed today, and counseling was made available to sheriff's department staff members.
The sheriff's office also announced Detective Lt. Bruce Coneeny and Detective Sgt. Jason Mark of the sheriff’s office are overseeing the investigation. "We're taking statements from everyone involved," said Imperati.
The detectives were in plainclothes and carrying either model 22 or 23 .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic handguns. The guns were in side holsters attached to their belts with a snap across the top, he said.
Imperati could not say whose gun Catts obtained.
The incident occurred while the detectives were preparing to take Catts to court for arraignment. He had been notified that charges of first-degree rape, a class B felony, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a class A misdemeanor, would be brought against him, he said