Police negotiated with Monday's gunman during hostage incident

At 1:25 p.m. Monday, a 911 call alerted the Bloomington Police Department of a violent felon in possession of a gun in the Cook Pharmica parking lot at 1300 S. Patterson Dr.

But what started as Richard W. North, 50, shooting at his vehicle in the parking lot soon turned into a hostage situation. As officers arrived on the scene, they reported seeing North and his wife, Teresa, 47, walking down Rogers Street, North’s arm around her neck and a gun to her head.

Why the situation began is still unknown.

“When officers arrived, he was holding the female more or less in a headlock,” said BPD Lt. Bill Parker.

With Teresa in one arm and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the other, North paused on Rogers and fired a shot toward responding officers.

The decisions that followed can be chalked up to protocol. Parker said because North was not an active shooter, or someone who has begun shooting at civilians, members of the BPD and the Critical Incident Response Team had time to try and negotiate.

“We have time to get people to the scene,” Parker said. “We try to, in this kind of circumstance, play out for time. We try to deflect the situation.”

As North made his way to the John’s Food Mart parking lot at the corner of Rogers and Rockport, playing out their time meant bringing in the BPD’s negotiaton team.

Officers surrounded the area as a negotiator spoke with North from behind a police vehicle a few feet from the suspect.

When negotiations failed to make North release Teresa and drop his weapon a shot was fired by the Critical Incident Response Team, and North fell to the ground.

“Members of the CIRT are set up to respond as quickly as possible,” Parker said. “The first ones arriving on the scene set up and are deployed. The command staff provides situational authority and an element of control.”

So the decision to shoot did not belong to the sniper alone, it first passed through a level of protocol and command.

However, two investigations will take place into the entire situation as well as into the involvement of the sniper.

Parker said he will lead the first investigation, which will be reviewed by the prosecutor’s office, and Capt. Tony Pope will conduct an internal investigation that will go before the BPD Board of Safety.

— Bailey Loosemore