Police officers with the Bay Pines VA Medical Center shot and killed a 68-year-old veteran who entered the emergency room Friday evening and said he had a bomb according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.
Authorities have yet to establish a motive for his threat or to identify the veteran – who was carrying a backpack that was later found to hold a “hoax device.”
When officers with the Bay Pines VA Police Department arrived, the man brandished a knife and threatened the officers, (FBI spokesman Dave) Couvertier said. “He lunged and the officers took action,” he said. … Bay Pines officials evacuated parts of the first floor of the center while bomb experts inspected the pipe. They determined it was a “hoax device,” Couvertier said. Law enforcement officers searched the facility for other devices but didn’t find any. Investigators believe the incident is isolated but remained unsure of the man’s motives late Friday. His next of kin had not yet been notified of his death.
The FBI is leading the investigation because the shooting took place at a federal facility.
