"I'm here to help you..."
A DEPUTY’S RECOLLECTION OF A SOLDIER’S PLEA FOR DEATH
PONCE DE LEON, Fla— Gunshots rang out. Seven total. Walton County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Bennett immediately took cover.
“Is he shooting at me?” he thought.
Moments before, Deputy Josh Bennett was sitting in his patrol car responding to a call common to law enforcement—a possible suicide attempt. Getting shot at is always a possibility in this career field. But to Deputy Bennett, who was responding to help, it was an unwelcome sound.
THE SOLDIER
It was September 13th and a soldier, a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, had been drinking heavily in his Walton County home.
The 25-year-old had called his platoon sergeant earlier that day. “I’m going to kill myself,” he told them, before firing several shots while still on the line. He phoned another soldier and issues the same threat minutes later.
Both reached out to Walton County Sheriff’s Office to relay what was told to them.
“He said ‘he couldn’t take it anymore’,” said one caller. “And that he planned to end his life.”
HALF A MILE OUT
“As soon as Josh called out ‘shots fired’ my entire body went numb,” recalled Deputy Trey Simpson.
A week earlier, he and Bennett were cooking BBQ while their kids played together in the backyard—a place that now seemed safe and simple. Now, he was driving toward a situation that was neither simple nor safe. “I picked up the mic and could hardly tell him I was half a mile out.”
Deputy Bennett told Simpson to kill his siren as he approached. He didn’t want the soldier to think there was a threat or that his safety was in question.
“I was terrified of having to roll up and see my partner and best friend shot or under fire,” Simpson remembered. “You never realize this can happen until it really does.”
After the suspect fired shots in his direction, Bennett clicked his safety off so he was ready to protect himself if needed. He recalled seeing the subject walk from the roadway to the residence.
“As I continued moving toward the house that’s when I heard the shots,” said Bennett. “I remembered dispatch saying he was threatening to "kill his family" so I knew there were possibly more lives at risk than just my own.”
“I just kept saying to myself ‘come on Trey, come on’ until he got on scene,” said Walton County Dispatcher Lindsey Naquin, who worked the incident.
That’s when Deputy Trey Simpson and Sergeant Johnny Whittaker arrived. They both issued commands for the man to raise his hands – he complied.
“When they called out they had him detained I sighed with relief,” Naquin said. “My units were safe.”
Bullet holes discovered later riddled a tree directly in front of the porch between the residence and where Bennett was standing.
JUST KILL ME
When he exited the residence and was detained the soldier continued his distressed behavior, yelling "just kill me" to deputies.
“I told him ‘I'm here to help you’," recalled Bennett.
During the next several minutes he became increasingly agitated and threatened to kill the deputies and find their families and kill them as well.
“I don’t know what he was dealing with,” said Simpson. “But, it was clear he was angry, upset, and was emotionally in pain.”
The man was placed under arrest for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, and discharging a firearm while intoxicated.
THE REALITY
The soldier is still incarcerated at the Walton County Jail and was given no bond. Coincidentally, the incident fell on National Suicide Prevention Week.
“The reality is, if this man was Baker Acted he may have been released and been put right back in the same situation with his weapons at his disposal,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “We want these people to get help if they need it, but we also are bound to protect them, the general public, and our deputies from their behavior.”
In 2016 Walton County experienced 15 suicides, the most in five years. The number of attempts is also staggering.
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, but experts say it’s preventable.
“It most often occurs when stressors exceed current coping abilities of someone suffering from a mental health condition,” said Donna Williamson, Chairwoman of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Emerald Coast Out of the Darkness Walk.
Williamson has been working with a team of dedicated volunteers to help shed light on suicide in our community.
“We can fight it,” said Williamson.
With the funds raised at local Out of the Darkness Walks the AFSP Florida Panhandle Chapter is bringing educational programs to the local community.
“One of our goals is to educate as many people as possible on the risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide so we can help save lives,” said Williamson. “We want to create a culture where we know it’s OK to treat our mental health the same as we would our physical health.”
This year, Sheriff Adkinson created a new position at the Walton County Jail –a mental health treatment manager.
“The majority of jails just assess and stabilize,” said Adkinson. “It turns into a catch and release program. What we’re trying to do is assess, stabilize and treat.”
Eighty inmates are currently being treated at the Walton County Jail in individual and group sessions.
RETURNING HOME
Everyone involved went home September 13th, except the soldier who is still incarcerated. All were still alive – a scenario that doesn’t always play out given a different set of circumstances.
“It was a very emotional day,” said Simpson. “All I wanted to do was hug and hold my family when I got home and suppress what occurred.”
For Bennett, the situation has stayed with him.
“I held my wife, 3-year-old and 2-month-old a little tighter that night,” said Bennett. “It was a surreal experience.”
Corey Dobridnia is the Public Information Officer at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. In the past, she worked as the weekend anchor at the ABC affiliate in Panama City, Florida. For veterans struggling with suicide please reach out to the Veterans Crises Line by calling 800-273-8255.