Kearney gunman had lost job

KEARNEY, Neb. — The man arrested Wednesday after allegedly holding a shotgun on hostages at a bank had recently lost his job at a television station, triggering tighter security at his former employer.

Jonathon C. Buckley was a master control operator at NTV until Feb. 3. The station is a Kearney-based ABC affiliate for south-central Nebraska.

Vincent Barresi, general manager, said he could not confirm reports of threats Buckley may have made against himself or others at the station.

“But I had gotten enough feedback that I was concerned,'' Barresi said.

Security officers were hired and stationed at the TV offices. Some were armed. The extra security presence started about when Buckley was fired, Barresi said. Buckley had worked at the station since April 2008.

Buckley, 22, of nearby Minden surrendered to Kearney police about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after a more than two-hour standoff inside Wells Fargo Bank.

Police arrested Buckley when he emerged from the bank without the shotgun. No one was injured.

Police Chief Dan Lynch said Buckley had walked into the bank a few minutes before 11 a.m. with a shotgun and machete. The 5-foot-9, 145-pound gunman held several bank employees and customers hostage.

Police radio exchanges indicated the man held the shotgun to a woman's head. Lynch said he could not confirm that.

The gunman demanded news cameras from NTV. He said he had been fired at the station and wanted publicity.

Police snipers perched on downtown business roofs near the bank.

Lynch said the gunman did not respond to initial attempts by authorities to talk with him. Contact eventually was made and negotiations began.

By 11:15 a.m., the first employees and customers were allowed to leave the building via a door into an alley. About 30 or 40 people were evacuated.

Toward the end of the siege, the gunman held four hostages on the bank's second floor, according to police.

Lynch credited a Kearney police negotiator for persuading Buckley to surrender. He declined to name the negotiator.

“There's heroes around here,” he said. “The officer did a tremendous job.''

Lynch said the negotiation was a struggle.

The gunman “refused to speak with us, and said he'd only talk to us face to face. Well, that was not happening,” Lynch said.

Lynch said he didn't know exactly what the negotiator said to the gunman by telephone, “but I imagine he stressed the possible consequences and emphasized that we all wanted to walk out happy and safe.”

Lynch said he didn't know what convinced Buckley to surrender.

“I really have no idea,'' he said. “I'm hoping common sense took over. Sometimes that happens.''

Sisters Chelsea and Megan Smith watched the drama from the vantage point of their family's restaurant, the French Cafe, across the street and north of the bank.

Snipers were posted on the roof of their restaurant, and police told restaurant customers to evacuate the building and head away from the bank.

Chelsea said she saw employees and bank customers leave the bank, one by one.

“They were running, with their hands up in the air,” she said. “Then we saw the guy come out, with his hands on his head. The police jumped on him right away.”

Police interviewed people who were held hostage at locations away from Wells Fargo Bank, including another bank across the street and one down the block.

“Some (hostages) are shook up,'' Lynch said. “Rightfully and understandably, some are very upset.''

One woman was taken to the hospital with possible heart palpitations, he said. She was expected to be OK.

Doug Kristensen, University of Nebraska-Kearney chancellor, said a campuswide e-mail was issued during the incident, warning students not to go downtown until the situation was resolved.

Lynch said a bank employee telephoned police when employees saw an armed man walk into the bank.

Troy Brockmeier, bank president, was out of the building visiting a customer when the gunman walked in. Brockmeier said his employees remained calm and responded excellently.

“They were poised and we're glad that everybody, our customers and employees, were able to get out safely. That was the most important thing,'' he said.

Brockmeier said the bank would make counselors available to customers and employees in coming days to help them work through any trauma they may feel. The bank will reopen at noon Thursday.

Buffalo County Attorney Shawn Eatherton said he had not yet decided how to charge Buckley. He said he expected to make a decision Thursday. Lynch said that for the time being, the incident was being treated as a robbery.

Kearney police were assisted by officers from the Nebraska State Patrol, Buffalo County Sheriff's Office and the FBI.

There are four banks located within a few blocks of one another in downtown Kearney. The gunman chose the one that was closest to the police station, about a block away.

This report includes material from the World-Herald News Service.

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