http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=1291820







Grand Island standoff ends in suicide by chain saw

BY KRISTIN ZAGURSKI



WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A Grand Island man killed himself with a chain saw Wednesday after a seven-hour standoff with police and state troopers, authorities said.


Paul E. Smidt Jr.

Paul E. Smidt Jr., 40, died after police tried to arrest him on a federal warrant, said Deb Collins, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska State Patrol.

The incident, the second recent standoff involving Smidt, began about 5 p.m. Tuesday at his Grand Island business, Smidt Lawn Care.

Police went there to serve Smidt a federal warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Collins said.

Smidt refused access to the business and barricaded himself inside.

A 10-person SWAT team from the State Patrol was called in to assist, she said. The State Patrol also sent two negotiators, traffic units and commanders for a total of 18 people. Collins didn't know how many Grand Island police officers were present.

Negotiations with Smidt continued until after midnight, she said, when officers got into the building.

Smidt, carrying a chain saw, barricaded himself in a bathroom at the back of the business. Officers got into the bathroom and ordered Smidt to drop the chain saw.

When he refused, an officer fired a nonlethal "beanbag" round, striking Smidt, Collins said.

Smidt then lowered his neck onto the chain saw, taking his own life, she said. "He did not stumble or fall on the chain saw," she said.

Collins declined to name the officer who fired at Smidt. All of the officers involved were on duty Wednesday and underwent a stress debriefing, she said.

Beanbag rounds are 1 to 11/2 inches square and are fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, said State Patrol Capt. Fred Ruiz.

Most people would bruise if hit with a beanbag round, Ruiz said, but it usually doesn't penetrate the skin and typically isn't forceful enough to knock someone down.

The major effect, he said, is of stunning the person who is fired upon.

Smidt had recently been involved in a standoff at the Grand Island home of his estranged wife. Police were called there Oct. 29 after Smidt had threatened to kill her.

Smidt, armed with a shotgun, confronted Lois Smidt shortly after she arrived home at 5 o'clock that night, police said. He grabbed her and ordered her to the basement, threatening to kill her if she didn't comply.

He released Lois Smidt after a few minutes but stayed inside the house. The Grand Island-Hall County SWAT team arrived about 6 p.m., and the State Patrol SWAT team about 7:30 p.m.

Officers obtained an arrest warrant and entered the home about 2 a.m. Police said Smidt fired one shot during the standoff. No one was injured.

A woman who answered the phone at Smidt's house Wednesday directed questions to Grand Island lawyer Bill Kelly.

Kelly said he had visited Smidt's family and that they were grief-stricken.

He said they had a lot of questions, but information cannot be disclosed because of a pending grand jury investigation.

Kelly said he didn't know about the arrest warrant being served Tuesday until after his client was dead.

Smidt was awaiting trial in Hall County District Court on charges connected to the earlier standoff, including burglary, first-degree false imprisonment, making terroristic threats, being a felon in possession of a firearm, violating a protection order and stalking, according to court records.

He was out on bail, the records say.

Smidt served 14 months in prison in 1986 and 1987 for a theft conviction in Buffalo County. He did not have a history of violence, Kelly said.

"I thought he was a very cooperative client and enjoyed working with him immensely," he said. "In my dealings with him, he was a fine individual."

Kelly said Smidt had given no indication that he wanted to end his life.

Smidt had two or three children, Kelly said, and was in the process of getting divorced. His wife could not be reached for comment.

A special prosecutor will be named and a grand jury will investigate Smidt's death. State law requires that a grand jury be convened any time a person dies in police custody or while being apprehended.

holy god

Hmmm... I'm a little skepticle about him voluntarily "lowering his head" to the chainsaw right after they shot him with the beanbag. But who knows. I was reading about a Darwin Award winner who committed suicide by replacing the front tire on his car with a circular blade and lay under the car as he lowered the jack down until it cut off his head. Again, being a Darwin Award I'm a little skepticle about that one too, but bad-ass nonetheless.

Wow.

This guy's a close second, though.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to blame.