The Observation Deck

PLease be aware of the fact that as of 2:20 PM there is a disturbance on Granger that has resulted in a shutdown of traffic in that area.

For security, children at Horace Mann will only be released DIRECTLY into their parents custody until the situation has been resolved. Please come to the FRONT of the building (the parking lot entrance north is closed) to pick up your child.

If you can pass this information along to assist in reducing the volume of telephone calls to the school I am sure it will be helpful

I have no other information (credible at least) on what is occurring.

Kind Regards,
~Charyn

There's a person with a gun who is in a house in the Granger / Norton / Clifton area.

The police have reported that this person has fired at vehicles.

Squads from Rocky River have been called in to help with traffic and the S.W.A.T. teams are on the scene.

Horace Mann is under lock down. Everybody there is safe.

Please, everybody, stay away from this area. The police don't need any "help" and they have been requesting that the media back off so they can do their jobs. They are having trouble communicating due to the noise of the helicopters.

It was just mentioned on Channel 3.

It's on Channel 5,

McKinley Elementary, Horace Mann & Lakewood Catholic Academy are eveidently all holding children for parents to pick up.

While the situation is tense for the police, there have been no reports of any injuries and the house the suspect is in is surrounded.

Everybody is just trying to be very careful and very cautious, and they're doing a great job.

There are actually five schools on lockdown:

Horace Mann
Lincoln
McKInley
St James
Lakewood Catholic Academy

If you know anyone with children in these school please relay this information to them so that they can make the appropriate arrangements for the safe transport of their children.

And as DL said - please stay away from this area until things have been cleared. Traffic is already confusing during the school release hour... voyeurs will only make it worse and could compromise the safety of our children.

Warm Regards,
~Charyn

video feed:

http://www.wkyc.com/video/news/breaking/

Ok,

The suspect has been "dispatched" but they are smelling natural gas around the house, so they are trying to shut that off before there's a different accident...

The suspect, Brad Babbitt, an 18 year old man, is deceased.

The investigation is going on.

I am incredibly horrified that an 18 year old is dead. He's not "dispatched," he's DEAD.

I cannot imagine what sort of problems he had, but my heart goes out to his family.

Grace O'Malley wrote:I am incredibly horrified that an 18 year old is dead. He's not "dispatched," he's DEAD.

I cannot imagine what sort of problems he had, but my heart goes out to his family.

I concur.

In all fairness, there was no information as to 'how' he was dispatched when DL made her post.

Certainly, that was my assumption; however, it had not yet been confirmed so to say that he was dead at that time would have been irresponsible. She clarified in her second post when the information was made public.

And yes, Grace, we will have prayers for him as well now that all of the information is coming out.

Warm Regards,
~Charyn

I used the word "dispatched" because that was the word the reporter used. It wouldn't have been one I would have chosen, but in looking up the definition, I understand why that word was used.

I don't think that anyone wanted this situation to end the way that it did.

dl

It's not you and I had no intention of criticizing you. I know you have great empathy for your fellow man.

I watched the TV 3 news and that idiot man kept repeating "He's been dispatched," over and over as if he were a taxicab.

I know what the boy did was wrong, and the possibility of great harm was a factor, but I cannot, as a mother of a teen boy, get over the fact that a boy woke up this morning and now lays dead. His life is over, done.

I am just beside myself over this. I don't know the details, but I must assume that the boy had some sort of mental problem. And now he's dead.

How could this happen? What could have been done to avert this tragedy?

Taken from Newsnet5.com:

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- An 18-year-old gunman who fired shots at officers from inside a Lakewood home was killed during the standoff with police.
The incident took place Wednesday afternoon on Granger Avenue, near Clifton Road, and prompted five nearby schools to go under lockdown.
NewsChannel5 reported that the gunman, now identified as Bradley Babbit, opened fire at police after they arrived at the home around 1:30 p.m. Lakewood police called in a SWAT team and other police departments to assist in the standoff.

Police said Babbit fired shots at police off and on for about two hours. The SWAT team brought an armored vehicle into the driveway, and officers said it was at this point that Babbit came out the back door and shot at officers again.

Police fired back at Babbit, who was found dead inside the house about 45 minutes later. It is unclear if Babbit was killed by one of the officers, or if his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted.

The coroner is expected to make a determination about Babbit's death.
No officers were injured during the standoff. Police said they have had a long history of problems with the suspect.

Three nearby public schools and two private schools went under lockdown during the standoff. The superintendent of Lakewood City Schools said parents of the students had to pick their children up, and the children were not permitted to walk home by themselves.

After the standoff ended, students were able to leave the school on their own.

Grace O'Malley wrote: What could have been done to avert this tragedy?

in short, nothing. if the kid was mentally imbalanced, then it would have been up to those that loved him to look out for him. he could have been a maniac for years. no one knows what the situation was with the deceased. i feel for his family but clearly the situation warranted police intervention up to and including possibly shooting him. i for one, am grateful to the first responders who got the situation under control. the families of the police are in my prayers as i'm sure they were frantic knowing that their loved ones were in harm's way.