Police: Springfield man shot dead had two guns
Police work the scene of the shooting. ToolsBy KVAL Web StaffSPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A man told police "I'm going to kill the first cop I see" before confronting officers with an assault rifle and a handgun Thursday afternoon in Springfield, Ore.
"He told our negotiators I'm going to kill the first cop I see, and I hope they kill me first," said Chief Jerry Smith with the Springfield Police Department. "If you want to call it suicide by cop, I suppose you could." Syke's doctor contacted police around 2 p.m. to report that Sykes was behaving irrationally and threatening suicide. Sykes apparently discharged firearms before police arrived with a SWAT team. The team made contact with Sykes before he exited the house at 3:11 p.m. and pointed his guns at police. At least four officers fired on Sykes. Those officers will be placed on paid administrative leave pending full review of the incident.
The incident took place off campus but prompted Springfield High School to bar access to the school for about 20 minutes. Classes were not in session at the time as the school conducted parent-teacher conferences. Tony Ace, who lives next door to the 9th Street residence where police have set up a crime scene investigation, reports hearing three or four shots from the home next door around 2:30 p.m. Police arrived a half hour later, and as many as 20 more shots were fired, Ace said. He does not know who did the shooting. Ace was evacuated from his home by police. |
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Officers shot Richard Sykes, 51, of Springfield, Ore., after he exited a house on 9th Street and pointed the rifle and handgun at police.
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