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A parent who held a teacher hostage after suffering an emotional breakdown has been gunned down by police after an hours-long standoff.
Luvelle Kennon (27) held a 70-year-old first-grade teacher hostage for seven hours at his daughter's Southern California elementary school.
The man is believed to have suffered an emotional breakdown and was described by family members as ‘a good kid’.
“He had a breakdown and he relapsed again. That's all, he's not dangerous,” the suspect's uncle, Carl Jackson told the media on the morning of the incident, which took place at Castle View Elementary.
Carl added that his nephew was ‘not a bad guy’ and had ‘never been in trouble’.
“He's a good kid, just having an emotional breakdown. He doesn't have no access to no weapons [sic].”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the incident started Tuesday morning around 11.15 am, when Luvelle forced his way into the school.
Daily Mail reports that he punched a substitute teacher in the face when he was asked to sign in. The victim was left with a bloody shirt and apparent broken nose.
It was then that Luvelle took 70-year-old Linda Montgomery into an empty classroom and locked the two of them inside. His reasons for doing so are unknown.
It is unknown whether he was armed.
Students were evacuated from the classrooms and safely sent to their parents.
Shortly before 6 pm, Riverside police raided the classroom using flash bang grenades.
They managed to subdue Luvelle, who, at this point, had reportedly assaulted Linda.
Daily Mail writes that Luvelle was seen wheeled out on a stretcher after the incident but later succumbed to his injuries.
According to Ryan Railsback, a Riverside police Officer, negotiators had tried to communicate with the suspect but became concerned when they heard nothing from the teacher.
After her release, Linda was taken to a nearby hospital where she wasn’t found to have any serious injuries.
“She loves teaching,” her daughter, Michelle Montgomery, told River Side Enterprise after the ordeal. She added that her mother had been teaching for 20 years.
Sources: Daily Mail, Los Angeles Times, River Side Enterprise
