Suicide By Cop

Every so often someone decides to commit suicide by shooting at the police. They know they're finished, it's all over, but they want to make a statement, or go out in a blaze of glory ("Top o'the world Mom!), or whatever reason they have. But they end up pointing a gun or shooting at a police officer. I wish they'd just find a bridge somewhere and jump.

In Syracuse we had an honor killing/death by cop incident yesterday. This happened about a mile and a half down the road from us.

From the Post Standard.

Police said Thach Ros, 62, shot his wife, Sopheap Kim Ros, 52, in the abdomen about 4 p.m. Saturday at their 303 Gere Ave. home. She had been critical condition this morning at University Hospital.

She is still in critical condition.

The shooting started a standoff between Thach Ros that ended Sunday night when a police SWAT team entered the home's basement and exchanged gunfire in the dark with Ros. Ros was killed, but authorities are awaiting autopsy results today to determine whether Ros died from a self-inflicted wound or gunfire from police.

But she wasn't the only one that Ros shot.

Ros' son, Sophin "Peter" Ros, was found dead in the home from a gunshot wound to the head.

This man shot and killed his own son. He shot him once in the arm, once in the stomache and twice in the head. And he killed his 33-year old son for reasons that mystify us, but make all the sense in the world to an Asian. This was an honor killing.

Ros' son, Sophin, disobeyed his father's wishes by marrying another woman. Sophin dishonored his father by making him look foolish.

Ros had arranged a marriage between his son and one of his cousins back in Cambodia. Ros made the arrangement without his son's knowledge and Sophin took exception to this. He married another Cambodian girl and disgraced his father. Four months ago Sophin and his wife moved back into Syracuse.

For some reason Ros also shot his wife; perhaps she was trying to stop him from shooting their son. The other two children fled the second story apartment by running to the rear porch and escaping with the help of police. Responding units cordoned off the area and fired tear gas canisters into the apartment to try to force Ros out. SWAT cops entered the house but were driven back by gunfire. At some point during the standoff, an officer fired when he spied Ros though an upstairs window and may have wounded him.

Ros' pastor tried to talk him out of the house and surrender but all such attempts to negotiate with him failed. Thus the situation lasted for nearly thirty hours as police and friends tried to find a way to spare his life.

But the police cannot let a situation like this last forever. All the nearby residents were evacuated; some had to sleep in their cars overnight. Other residents for blocks around were warned to stay indoors or stay away completely. Traffic was halted and diverted.

Ros either killed himself or was shot to death by a SWAT team late Sunday night.

UPDATE:
Initial reports indicate that Ros probably died from a self inflicted gunshot.