Lessons from an armed man

On Wednesday a Stafford man abducted a Fairfax man who reportedly was involved with his wife. The man was abducted at gunpoint, and was brought the suspects Stafford residence.

The man escaped through the abductor’s garage and called the police to tell them what had happened. When police swarmed the residence, the suspect forced his wife into his car at gunpoint and escaped, leading police on a high-speed pursuit. Police boxed the suspect into a parking lot. There police got the woman out of the car, and learned the suspect was armed.
The man negotiated with police for nearly three hours yesterday. When it was all over, police used a taser gun to subdue the man.

During the ordeal, what looked to be someone related to the suspect arrived on the scene and was talking with police. When he was through, he walked back to his car and ignored many of the questions that I was asking him. Frustrated that I was being ignored, I asked him, “Can you tell me anything about what’s going on?” The man continued to ignore me and drove away.

When he unexpectedly returned, I again approached him. He immediately told me to stay away from him, and that he clearly was not going to speak to me. The man promptly went to the other reporter on the scene, from a competing publication, and gave him an exclusive interview.

I learned that day that as a reporter the people who are going through emotional stress are not required to talk to me. I am there for them. If I had showed a little more compassion for the situation, and less angst about getting a great story, perhaps I would have gotten that interview.