A 56-year-old Florida gunman entered a school board meeting Tuesday, fired a shot towards board members and eventually killed himself after security arrived on the scene. Cameras caught the confrontation.
In the video the gunman, identified as Clay A. Duke, draws attention to himself during a school board meeting by drawing a large letter ‘V’ circled in red on a wall. He announces he has a “motion” and produces a gun. Outbursts of surprise and panic are heard from the room, and people begin to gather their things and exit.
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Duke calmly asks everyone to leave the room “except these clowns behind the counter here,” referring to the six men conducting the meeting from behind a podium. He goes on to explain that the reason for his anger is his financial difficulties after his wife was fired from the school.
At one point in the video, a woman tries to distract Duke from behind, but he turns around and she falls to the ground. Later, one man claims “I’m a good guy…I don’t need to die.” He continues to ask the gunman to explain his problems and offers to help his wife find a job. Another board member who claims he is the one who signs release papers asks that the other men be allowed to leave.
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At another point, a security guard attempts to enter the room and Duke dismisses his presence, saying, “He probably doesn’t even have a gun.”
The video clip ends with a conversation about taxes between Duke and the board members ending in Duke firing and missing a shot towards the school superintendent, Bill Husfelt.
Moments later, a security guard entered again and shot Duke without killing him, at which point Duke pointed the gun at himself and fatally shot. (via New York Times).