DELAND, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff's Office arrested a suicidal man Wednesday morning after officials say he fired a gun at first responders.
- Suicidal man taken into custody, charged
- Neil Kirkland identified as suspect
- Kirkland accused of shooting at sheriff's helicopter
Authorities said 41-year-old Neil Kirkland called the sheriff's office just before 2 a.m. threatening to kill himself after he got into a fight with his partner and was upset over his relationship.
Deputies responded to a home along Nectarine Road in DeLand where they say Kirkland fled in his truck. The sheriff's office began to track him on the ground and by air with the helicopter.
Chief Deputy John Creamer said at one point the suicidal man fired a handgun at the helicopter.
Deputies used stop sticks to get him to the gas station on West Parkway and U.S. 92.
"From there the male exited with a revolver to his head. Other times, he put the revolver to his chin," Creamer said.
The standoff lasted for 8 hours as Kirkland moved in and out of his car, Creamer said.
After using dozens of resources and deploying the SWAT team, law enforcement got Kirkland to surrender peacefully. They took him into custody without any injuries.
“At Volusia Sheriff’s Office we believe the sanctity of human life is our number one priority. We train in that over and over again, you’ve heard my boss the Sheriff talk about how we changed the culture and that’s what we did," Creamer said.
Kirkland has been charged with:
- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- aggravated assault on medical personal
- discharging firearm public place
- he violated probation
Initially, the incident propmpted deputies to reroute traffic at Kepler Avenue, preventing drivers from traveling eastbound.
The roads have since reopened.
Spectrum News 13's Julie Gargotta has been covering the incident all morning.