US college hostage-taker shot dead by police

A gunman who took at least a dozen people hostage in a US college classroom before was shot dead by police. Two hostages were wounded during the nine-hour stand-off.

Police heard gunshots from inside the building at Dyersburg State Community College in Tennessee at around 11pm local time yesterday (4am Irish time today). The gunman, 26-year-old Harold Kilpatrick Jr, had left a note saying he “wanted to kill some people and die today”.

Police Chief Bobby Williamson initially said Kilpatrick fatally shot himself, but he later confirmed that officers shot him.

“Our people shot one – the hostage-taker – and two others were wounded,” Mr Williamson said.

It was not immediately clear whether the two hostages were wounded by police or Kilpatrick. Mr Williamson said the injuries to the hostages were not serious.

Four ambulances were at the college building in Dyersburg, about 75 miles north east of Memphis. Two people were carried out of the building on stretchers. Police escorted several other people from the building.

Kilpatrick, believed to have had a 9mm pistol and what looked like a butcher knife, made no demands – aside from food and drink – during the stand-off. In the evening, he asked for six pizzas and soft drinks, which police delivered.

Kilpatrick claimed to be a member of al Qaida, and Williamson said that although authorities had no reason to believe the claim, the FBI had been called in. Justice Department officials in Washington also said they had no evidence that the gunman was a member of the terrorist organisation.

Authorities said Kilpatrick was staying with his sister in Dyersburg. In the suicide note, left at her house, he also said he didn’t like Americans and had spoken with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Mr Williamson said.

Kilpatrick faced criminal charges of assault and kidnapping in another case, Dyersburg police spokesman Charles Maxey said. He had no details but said Kilpatrick had been scheduled to appear in a Memphis courtroom yesterday.

Mr Williamson said there were 12 to 16 people in the classroom when the stand-off began. About three hours later, three students were released – all women, one of whom was pregnant. The teacher remained in the classroom.

Officers communicated with the gunman through student hostages on their mobile phones, but Kilpatrick wouldn’t speak directly to police.

Police said Kilpatrick was not a student or college employee. They talked to his sister at the scene, but the gunman wouldn’t talk to her