A school board meeting in Panama City, FL unexpectedly became the lead story for WMBB and WJHG on Tuesday when a local man disrupted the proceedings and pulled a gun on the board members. Clay Duke, whose wife had apparently been fired from her job with the district, calmly entered the afternoon meeting, drawing a “V” on the wall with red spray paint before pointing a handgun at the board.
ABC-affiliate WMBB and NBC-affiliate WJHG regularly attend the twice-monthly Bay District school board meeting but the usual coverage of staffing and budget decisions quickly became a chilling story about one man’s desperate confrontation with the five-member board. WMBB reporter Nadeen Yanes and WJHG reporter David E. Demarest were on-hand as Duke commandeered the meeting.
After having a surprisingly calm conversation with the board, Duke began firing random shots in the direction of the panel. At that point, security guard Mike Jones, a retired Panama City detective, opened fire on Duke. After exchanging shots with Jones, Duke shot himself. No one was seriously injured in the altercation and Duke’s vendetta ended in only one death–his own.
Here’s the chilling video…