Ponte Vedra Man Found Dead After Firing at Deputies [in my town]

Source

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- St. Johns County deputies are allowing residents at The Fountains condos to return their homes after finding the gunman they've been negotiating with dead in his home.

According to Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, deputies sent a robot to the man's door and found his body inside. It's unknown if the man died from a self-inflicted wound or from shots fired by deputies.

Mulligan says the man was armed with a rifle that he fired at deputies when they responded to his home after he was reported as being "despondent."

To many people this is not really big news but in my small town where there has not been a murder since I moved here (in 2003) or anything even close to this that I can recall; it is pretty ‘wild’. The beach part of the community is very affluent with a median household income of over $110,000 where this event transpired which makes it even more unusual.

Around 9pm last night I had heard police cruisers many times travelling swiftly down the road leading towards the beach community and was curious about the reason as to why, but never sought to investigate it. I check my facebook and there it is; the event had been set loose on the social media network.

People are going crazy in this country; I suspect it is a combination of the economy (especially joblessness) and the rather depressed mood in the area. At least no one besides the crazed man was harmed.

Ponte Vedra--and the beaches thereabouts--have always been a particularly relaxing place for me....thanks for spoiling it, Misoir!! Just goofing.

Violence springing up in somewhat unexpected places, especially on one's doorstep so-to-speak, is disconcerting. It kind of takes a little wind out of the sails. Like a patina on copper.

Hope this doesn't effect your sangfroid for long. Peace.