More "gun at school" craziness in NWLA

So, the headlines from Bossier City yesterday were about an "unknown man" trying to force his way into an elementary school, and the school going on lockdown.

Today, it turns out he wasn't unknown, merely irate that the school wouldn't let him check his child out of school. The school has a policy again checking out close to afternoon dismissal -- but the last time I checked, someone holding your child against your will constituted kidnapping.

They wouldn't buzz him him, so he tried a couple of different doors then left. A school employee called police and reported that he had a gun. Police went to his house and surrounded it, he came out peacefully and surrendered, and they searched the house -- no guns found except for a single toy gun.

Now, check out this quote: "The initial charge of having a firearm on a school campus will stand for now, Dison said, because investigators cannot disprove the initial complaint that Allen, 38, had a gun. Allen is not cooperating with investigators, [chief of school security Danny] Dison said."

Wait... they press charges because they can't prove the accusation is false?!?

I can bet he's "not cooperating", which I assume means he wants a lawyer and won't talk without one. I'd be "not cooperating" my ass off under those circumstances!

http://www.ktbs.com/news/27522260/detail.html

He remains in jail on a $50,000 bond.

srsly?

The other news stories from the Shreveport/Bossier media are all over the place, giving entirely different accounts, and some of them have dispensed with terms like "allegedly" or "suspected" or "is accused of". Instead, they use phrases like "is in custody after he brought a gun to school."

Some stories say he called he school to say he was coming, and they locked down because of that. Others say they locked down after a witness alerted them that they thought he had a gun in his waistband. One said he was "cursing and throwing a fit" (fine wordsmithing skills these TV reporters have, wot?)

One story said after police made contact with him at his house, he "refused to come out". Another said after police called him, he came out a few minutes later.

Whatever the truth is, don't expect to find it in the local media.

KBCraig said:

The other news stories from the Shreveport/Bossier media are all over the place, giving entirely different accounts, and some of them have dispensed with terms like "allegedly" or "suspected" or "is accused of". Instead, they use phrases like "is in custody after he brought a gun to school."

Some stories say he called he school to say he was coming, and they locked down because of that. Others say they locked down after a witness alerted them that they thought he had a gun in his waistband. One said he was "cursing and throwing a fit" (fine wordsmithing skills these TV reporters have, wot?)

One story said after police made contact with him at his house, he "refused to come out". Another said after police called him, he came out a few minutes later.

Whatever the truth is, don't expect to find it in the local media.

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Its likely its a smaller community and was not well liked.

VW_Factor said:

Its likely its a smaller community and was not well liked.

Click to expand...

I don't know about "smaller community". Bossier City has a population of over 56,000, in a metro area of 427,000.

Plantation Park Elementary was placed on lockdown and police were called Tuesday afternoon after a school employee thought the man had a gun.

The man, who was gone when police arrived, surrendered after officers surrounded his house on James Street, authorities said.

No gun was found at Thomas Max Allen Jr.'s home, although a toy gun was inside, chief of school security Danny Dison said.

The initial charge of having a firearm on a school campus will stand for now, Dison said, because investigators cannot disprove the initial complaint that Allen, 38, had a gun. Allen is not cooperating with investigators, Dison said.

I'm confused. The school calls in an unknown man with a gun to police. Yet, they knew where the unknown man lived and got the police there promptly.

rscottie said:

I'm confused. The school calls in an unknown man with a gun to police. Yet, they knew where the unknown man lived and got the police there promptly.

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You think there might be a lot of specific information missing.....just maybe? :uhoh:

When all the facts are in (not that they'll appear in the ADHD broadcast media), it might very well turn out that the guy did have a handgun, did shove it into his waistband, did call ahead, and was seen by a witness who also alerted the school.

And then he drove home, disposing of the gun along the way, and wasn't particularly eager to face the SWAT team surrounding his house.

On the other hand, it's also possible that the news reports are full of a scatological mixture of rumor, supposition, innuendo, and disinformation.

I suppose anything is possible. My bet would be on the latter theory.

"after a school employee thought the man had a gun." THATS WHAT OC PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO HEAR.Man with a gun.Bossier is pretty tough on people .This guy is lucky he is still living.

"The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling"

To me this sounds like someone acting like "Chicken Little". Oh, but if it saves just one child...

what a bunch of lunatics

The whole lot of them.
The school employees for not letting the man pick up his kid.
The school employee for making a false and inflammatory police report.
The school for scaring the kids by locking them in.
The police for causing a scene at the man's home.
The police for searching his home. (Under what pretext?!?!?!)

And I [sarcasm]love[/sarcasm] how the press paints someone exercising his 5A right to remain silent as "not cooperating".

I like the Utah model of school safety, where teachers carry concealed pistols at work.
I'd want my kid going to a school like that, where it's less likely he'd be harmed.