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U.S. NEWS Friday 2 december 2016
Sheriff: hostages freed, bank robbery suspect in custody

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — and it wasn’t clear if he
After a bank robbery sus- had an attorney or what
pect put a gun to the back charges he would face.
of one hostage’s head, Shortly after 9 a.m., an ini-
SWAT team members re- tial 911 call reporting a rob-
solved at the first chance bery at the credit union in
they had Thursday to storm a northwest Jacksonville
a north Florida credit union commercial district came
where nearly a dozen peo- in. Patrol officers respond-
ple were being held, au- ed quickly, and after con-
thorities say. firming there was a rob-
That moment came, they bery, SWAT team negotia-
say, when two people hid- tors were summoned.
ing inside the Jacksonville Williams described a tense
building, unbeknown to the scene as threats escalated
suspect, made a run for it, and SWAT team members
distracting the man. SWAT positioned outside.
team members stormed He also said none of those
the credit union and put held hostage were shot
themselves between the and that initial reports say-
gunman and the 11 hos- ing otherwise were errone-
tages, ending a two-hour ous.
standoff, said Jacksonville SWAT team members were
Sheriff Mike Williams. able to talk to the suspect, Police officers escort hostages safely across Edgewood Avenue West after a gunman held them
“We were able to take him who asked for money and during an attempted robbery at Community First Credit Union Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Jackson-
into custody and save the made demands for some ville, Fla. (Will Dickey/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
lives of those hostages,” family members to come
Williams said Thursday, to the bank, Williams said. was made. hostages being taken out for everybody,” said John
about an hour after the A couple of hostages were “Based on that, those by heavily armed and hel- Hirabayashi, president and
hostage ordeal had end- released through negotia- threats and that activity es- meted SWAT team mem- CEO of Community First
ed. “We were not only able tions, Williams said. calated, it became more bers. Williams described Credit Union.
to resolve it, but resolve it But Humphrey also con- and more intense, review- the hostages afterward as In an unusual touch, the sus-
peacefully.” tinued to threaten other ing that, “shaken up.” pect came into the Com-
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Of- hostages several times, ac- the SWAT command made The credit union’s chief said munity First Credit Union
fice identified the suspect cording to the sheriff. the determination to, at the SWAT team did “a fine with a dog, according to
on social media as 23-year- “We have verifiable infor- the next opportunity, they job” ending the hostage the sheriff. The dog was
old Nicholas Daquan Hum- mation that he was putting would make entry into the situation. unharmed and in the care
phrey, of Tampa. He hadn’t a gun to the back of a hos- bank,” he added. “We’re just so very thank- of animal control services,
been booked into the jail tage’s head,” Williams said. Televised news coverage ful this hostage situation said Williams, who offered
by early Thursday evening, At that point a decision
showed a group of freed resolved itself in a safe way no further explanation.q
Bloody month in Chicago brings death toll past 700 mark

DON BABWIN have been in years.
Associated Press A big reason, they say, is
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago that Chicago in recent
experienced more than years has seen their once
twice as many homicides tough gun laws weakened
in November as it did dur- or eliminated by court de-
ing the same month in cisions. As he has been say-
2015, and more than any ing for months, Superinten-
November in nearly a quar- dent Eddie Johnson said
ter century, according to Thursday that the state’s
police statistics released weak gun laws mean
Thursday. The 77 homicides people convicted of gun
recorded last month bring crimes are locked up for
the city’s 2016 total to 701, far less time than they are
with a month to go until in places like New York,
year’s end. It is the first time where crime has dropped.
Chicago has eclipsed the “The mentality here is there
700 mark in a year since is no consequence for car-
1998, and puts the city on rying a gun,” Johnson said.
a pace to end 2016 with “Gun offenders just don’t
nearly 300 more homicides fear the judicial system.” U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., center, speaks in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Chicago
than were recorded last U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, the experienced more than twice as many homicides in November as it did during the same month
year. Police, law enforce- Chicago Democrat whose in 2015, and more than any November in nearly a quarter century, according to police statistics
released Thursday.
ment officials and com- teenage grandson was (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune via AP)
munity members say the shot and killed last week,
reasons start with criminals agreed. And he said as the people to arm themselves the gun laws mean that if vere as the consequences
in Chicago that are more violence has escalated, so for protection - especially they are caught, the con- of the criminals on the
emboldened than they too has the willingness of since they understand that sequences won’t be as se- streets. q