Gunman Opens Fire at School Board Members: Join the Live Chat
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Tonight on 360°, the tense moments caught on tape when a gunman opened fire at a Florida school board meeting. You'll hear from the superintendent who survived the showdown. Plus, see who we've added to our 'Ridiculist' and tonight's other stories.
Want more details on what covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
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Evening Buzz: Hail of Bullets at School Board Meeting
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Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
A gunman is dead tonight after he opened fire at school board meeting in Panama City, Florida and then took his own life, authorities said.
The dramatic standoff that ended in a hail of bullets was caught on a live internet video feed of the meeting.
It all started when the man walked into the room and spray painted a red circle with a "V" on the wall. He then took out a gun and ordered everyone out of the room, except most of the school board members.
The video feed shows the man then talked with board members about a family member who was fired and yelled about a half-cent sales tax. He was jumping from topic to topic. He often said that he was going to die today.
Members of the school board tried to calm him down, with no success.
It all ended when the man raised his gun, pointed it directly at the superintendent and opened fire. The superintendent and other board members hit the ground, hiding under their desks.
Amazingly, none of them were injured. The bullets missed them, even at that close range.
The chief of security for the school board also opened fire, hitting the gunman. At that point, the gunman then fatally shot himself, authorities said.
Tonight on 360°, Anderson will talk with Superintendent William Husfelt about those tense moments.
We'll also show you the remarkable video of a female board member who tried to jump the gunman and get the gun out of his hands.
And, we'll dig into just who this gunman was and what might led him confront the school board members.
Join us for this story and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET on CNN. See you then.
Rambling gunman dead after opening fire at Florida school meeting
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Vivian Kuo
CNN
(CNN) - A live video feed captured a horrifying confrontation between school officials and an armed gunman who opened fire during a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida, Tuesday. The gunman was wounded and subsequently took his own life, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Clay Duke, 56, of Bay County, Florida, spray-painted a wall and then opened fire on the superintendent and school board members during the meeting, authorities said.
The gunman apparently missed each person he fired on, even though he was at close range, said Lee Stafford, director of student services of Bay District Schools.
The chief of security for the school board shot and wounded the man, who then fatally shot himself, said Ruth Corley, a spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
The harrowing incident was captured by a live internal feed of the afternoon school board meeting.
Federal budget clash looms - again
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Charles Riley
CNNMoney.com Staff Reporter
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Once again, Congress is facing intense deadline pressure to pass a budget to fund the the federal government.
A temporary budget extension was enacted earlier this month. The problem is that it will expire on Saturday at midnight, so Congress must act before then.
Last week, the House did its part. It approved a $1.1 trillion "continuing resolution" to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year next September.
The House vote was 212 to 206. Now it's the Senate's turn.
The failure to extend funding could lead to furloughs of federal employees and a sharp reduction in governmental activities.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that Congress has been at this point many times before and has usually passed at least another continuing resolution.
But things might not go so smoothly this time.
Beat 360° 12/14/10
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite! Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
As Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant looks on, President Barack Obama greets Lakers head coach Phil Jackson while the three men help children volunteers fill care packages during a NBA Cares service event at the Boys and Girls Club on December 13, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions! Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
Update: Beat 360° Winners:
Staff
Kirk McDonald
"Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny when he cried on '60 Minutes' too."
Viewer
Bill, Plano, TX
Phil: "You're a good sport Mr. President, considering out of the adults in this room, you are the 3rd most popular, lowest paid and least likely to have a job in two years."
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Before birther row, Lt. Col. Lakin racked up medals as flight surgeon
Eliott C. McLaughlin
CNN
(CNN) - Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin is a poster soldier for the so-called birther movement, but for 17 years prior to his court-martial proceedings, the flight surgeon served around the globe, racking up a chest full of medals.
Military prosecutors allege that the Colorado native intentionally missed a plane in April after disobeying four lawful orders from superiors. Lakin has said he refused to deploy to Afghanistan until he sees proof that President Obama was born in the U.S.
In a YouTube explanation posted before he was charged, Lakin said he had no choice but the "distasteful one of inviting my own court-martial."
"If [Obama] is ineligible, then indeed, all orders are illegal because all orders have the origin with the commander in chief," he said.
The Uniform Code of Military Justice says the maximum punishment for both offenses - missing his plane and disobeying lawful orders - is a dishonorable discharge and up to two years in confinement. A guilty verdict could also result in forfeiture of his pay, which totals $7,959 a month, according to a charge sheet provided by a group sponsoring his defense.
9/11 responders bill defeated by Senate GOP filibuster
CNN Wire Staff
Washington (CNN) - Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The motion for cloture, or to begin debate, needed 60 votes to pass due to a Republican filibuster, but fell short at 57-42 in favor.
While supporters said they would try to bring the bill up again, either on its own or as part of other legislation to be considered, the vote Thursday jeopardized the measure's chances for approval in the final weeks of the current congressional session.
The House previously passed the bill on a mostly partisan 268-160 vote.
Next step is Senate vote after tax deal clears key hurdle
CNN Wire Staff
Washington (CNN) - Final Senate approval could come as early as Tuesday on the hotly contested tax deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders.
The deal cleared a key procedural hurdle Monday, with an 83-15 vote to end Senate debate on the measure, which includes a two-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts set to expire December 31.
The plan would also extend unemployment benefits for 13 months, cut the payroll tax by 2 percentage points for a year and continue a series of other tax breaks.
Anticipating final Senate approval of the measure, Obama on Monday urged the House to pass it quickly, despite misgivings by some House Democrats about specific provisions in the package.
"I recognize that folks on both sides of the political spectrum are unhappy" with parts of the deal, Obama said, calling it "the nature of compromise." Overall, he said, the measure will help bolster recovery from recession and provide taxpayers with certainty about what they will owe in 2011.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, also heralded the broad support for the measure and warned the House against making any changes to score political points, saying that would kill the deal.
"If the House Democratic leadership decides to make partisan changes, they will ensure that every American taxpayer will see a job-killing tax hike on January 1st," McConnell said in a statement.
Disgruntled House Democrats, however, have warned that they may try to change the deal.
