Suspects in standoff mentally ill, suicidal, relative says
By Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic
A gunman holding as many as five people captive on Monday morning released one of the hostages, a man who was wounded during an exchange of gunfire between the hostage-taker and police the night before.
The standoff continues, at a Glendale apartment in the 7100 block of North 66th Drive. Authorities suspect the two captors as being high on methamphetamine.
A single gunshot was heard about 9:15 a.m. Monday, but police were not able to determine whether anyone inside the apartment was injured.
Outside, a man who identified himself as the father of one of the suspects said that both his son and his accomplice suffer from mental illness and that both have been off their medication. Lee Sears Sr., 61, described the two as suicidal.
“These kids don’t have an agenda,” Sears said. “They just want to die. It’s a suicide-by-cop, most likely.”
Sears also said he was thankful that police officers and SWAT units have been using patience to try to end the ordeal peacefully.
“They are mentally ill kids,” Sears said of his son, Lee Sears Jr. and his friend, an 18-year-old named Daniel. “They’re not dangerous criminals. They haven’t been out robbing banks and stuff.”
Glendale police do not dispute that Lee Sears Jr. is one of the suspects.
The hostage released Monday, described by police only as an adult, was taken to a Phoenix hospital for treatment of a shoulder wound. It was not immediately clear whether he was wounded by gunfire from police or the hostage taker, said Officer Matt Brown, a police spokesman.
The standoff began about 7 p.m. when a neighbor called 911, Glendale police Officer Michael Pena said. Investigators did not know why the unidentified man was holding the group, including a 16-year-old girl and a 2-year-old child. Sears Sr. described the teenager as a homeless youth that the suspects had befriended with food and shelter.
Police exchanged gunfire with the man shortly before 10 p.m. after he pointed a rifle at an officer, Pena said. No officers were hit, and the condition of the gunman was unknown. Earlier in the standoff, the gunman twice stepped outside the apartment and fired into the air, Pena said. Authorities believe he had two handguns and the rifle.
Authorities activated a computerized “reverse 911" system, which called about 600 residents in the neighborhood and urged them to stay inside. Police opted against conducting evacuations, fearing that residents would be placed in the line of fire.
Republic reporter David C. Cieslak contributed to the report.