1 Dead As Pa. Hostage Standoff Ends
Repo...@uni.com
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
JUNE 18, 1999
1 Dead As Pa. Hostage Standoff Ends
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A hostage standoff at the state's largest mental
institution ended tragically today when a fired employee killed one
hostage and
critically wounded the other after police broke a window to get a better
look
at him, authorities said.
Dennis Czajkowski, a former nurse at Norristown State Hospital who had
held the
hostages since Wednesday, shot and killed nursing supervisor Carol
Kepner,
state police spokesman Robert Whitbeck said.
Czajkowski shot a second hostage, Maria Jordan, who was flown to the
Hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania, Whitbeck said. She was in critical
condition.
Czajkowski, 40, who apparently had been angry over being fired from his
job,
was taken away by medical helicopter with unspecified injuries. He also
was in
critical condition. Whitbeck said state police did not fire any shots at
him.
``He was terminated and the two women he is holding were part of that
decision,'' Whitbeck said earlier today. ``He specifically targeted at
least
Maria Jordan. We don't know whether he knew for sure whether Carol
Kepner would
be there.''
Visibly shaken after the standoff ended badly, Whitbeck said that as of
8:45
a.m. today Czajkowski had become increasingly agitated. Police, who at
that
point could not see the gunman, decided to break in a window.
``Immediately on breaking one of the windows the subject opened fire,''
Whitbeck said.
The power had been shut down Thursday night and police negotiators
worked round
the clock talking to Czajkowski. But they said he did respond to
conventional
hostage-negotiation techniques. By this morning, he had apparently been
awake
for most if not all of the time since the standoff began around 10:45
a.m.
Wednesday, police said.
Czajkowski had held the women in Ms. Jordan's office. Negotiators were
in
another room of the building, negotiating by phone.
The hospital's 650 patients were moved to safe quarters on Wednesday.
Areas
away from the nursing offices continued to operate normally Thursday for
the
most part, with workers showing up for their regular shifts.
The 118-year-old hospital, situated on 233 acres, has a locked area
where the
worst of the criminally insane are kept, and also serves the chronically
mentally ill.
Neighbors have sought tighter security after dozens of patients walked
away
from the hospital without permission in the past two years.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of today's Reuters news wire:
Stand Off Over, One Dead
June 18, 1999
Reuters
(NORRISTOWN) -- A disgruntled nurse killed one hostage and apparently
wounded a
second today as SWAT teams converged on a state mental hospital in
Norristown.
Police swarmed the facility's administration building after 40- year-old
Denis
Czajkowski began opening fire with a handgun on two women he had held
captive
for about 46 hours. Nursing supervisor Carol Kepner was pronounced dead
at the
scene, while nursing director Maria Jordan was taken away by helicopter.
Czajkowski is in custody.
Police, who had hoped for a peaceful outcome to the siege, said
Czajkowski
became agitated and frustrated sometime before nine this morning, and
suddenly
began opening fire on the two women. He has also been flown out with
injuries.
The drama started Wednesday morning when Czajkowski entered an
administration
building with a private detective he had hired as a bodyguard and opened
fire
twice with a handgun. The suspect was dismissed from his job at the
hospital
two months ago and had told hostage negotiators he wanted a full
investigation
of his sacking as a condition of his surrender. Both hostages were his
former
supervisors.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 6/18/99 online edition of The
WCAU-TV,
local Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NBC-TV affiliate station web site:
Gunman a former employee of state hospital
NORRISTOWN, PA -Sources inside the state hospital system say the suspect
who
allegedly held two nursing supervisors hostage was an employee who lost
his job
several months ago.
It all started Wednesday morning, when Dennis Czajkowski, the
alleged
gunman, walked inside a private investigator’s office in Philadelphia.
“He said he was going to various locations to serve papers because
he said
he was being threatened,” said Dominic Farinella, a private
investigator. “He
represented himself to be working for the FBI.”
Farinella said he didn’t believe him. But still sent one of his men.
And instead of serving papers, they ended up at the Norristown State
Hospital. Once inside, Czajkowski allegedly pulled a gun on the private
investigator and said he was “coming to get the truth.”
As it turns out, Czajkowski was not a federal agent, but had been a
nurse
at Norristown State Hospital and lost his job several months ago.
One of the facility’s secretaries called her mother during the start
of the
hostage situation.
“She had just given me a brief call on the phone, said she was
alright,”
said Christa Mitchell, who’s daughter witnessed the events. “She said
someone
was after her boss Maria.”
When asked whether the woman’s daughter thought it was a disgruntled
employee, Mitchell said, “yes, yes, Dennis. She was quite shook up so
she just
wanted to be sure to say that she was alright.”
“He seems quiet,” said Kelly Zimnock, one of Czajkowski’s neighbors.
“You
could say, ‘hi, how are you?’ and he says it back, then he shoots right
off…right into the house.”
Czajkowski’s neighbor in Collegeville says no one knows much about
the
former state employee, though he’d been living in a condominium for six
months.
But she said he did seem upset this week.
“He felt someone broke in his van because he was missing some
stuff,”
Zimnock said. “Physically, it obviously bothered him because you could
see it
on his face and the tone of his voice. He was pretty agitated about it.”
The investigator held at gunpoint was later released, but was asked
to stay
and help negotiate the hostage situation. Czajkowski’s family was also
brought
to the standoff in order to try and talk him into surrendering to
authorities.
----------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 6/18/99 online edition of The
Philadelphia Daily News newspaper:
Gunman baffles cops
He continues to hold two hostages
by Joshua Rhett Miller
Daily News Staff Writer
Even hostages and hostage-takers have to eat.
The main problem last night as the hostage standoff at Norristown State
Hospital dragged through another day seemed to be how to get food to the
armed
man and his two captives.
Trooper David Lester, who briefed the press in terse, reluctant terms
through
last night, said the three had not eaten since 9 the night before.
He said sandwiches, soft drinks and juice had been placed within reach
of the
three at about 8:45 p.m., but as of the 9 p.m. press briefing, they
hadn't been
picked up yet.
Lester and Sgt. Berchard Suber said the armed hostage taker, Denis
Czajkowski,
a member of the hospital nursing staff who was fired last week, has
demanded
that his firing be investigated.
"He wants certain investigators to investigate his firing," said Lester.
But he
would not say what investigators Czajkowski was demanding.
Talking with reporters at the main gate of the sprawling hospital,
Lester put
an optimistic cast on the situation, saying negotiations were proceeding
"slowly but surely."
He said there was a "positive tone" to the talks.
"The negotiation state is excellent at this time," Lester said. He
didn't say
what he meant by that.
"I don't know why he's not coming out," Suber said.
Lester also said that family members of the two female hostages were in
Building 2, the administration building, where the drama is taking
place, and
were aiding police in their "tactical plan."
He wouldn't say what the plan was or how the families were helping.
There are no patients in the administration building.
The hostages are Maria Jordan, assistant superintendent for nursing, and
Carol
Kepner, who supervises Building 53, which houses the geriatric mentally
ill.
It was there that Czajkowski may have worked, sources said.
Czajkowski entered the hospital Wednesday morning with a private
detective
bodyguard he hired earlier in Philadelphia.
In hiring the man, Czajkowski told the ACE detective agency that he had
to
serve some legal papers at the hospital.
The bodyguard, Michael Soltys, was let go unharmed.
Neighbors across Locust Lane from the main gate declined to give their
names,
but expressed little concern about the situation.
Their main complaint seemed to be about the vehicles of reporters and
camera
crews blocking their street.
Other neighbors, however, have complained in the past about patients
wandering
away from the hospital and what they perceive as a lack of security
there.
Although no patients are threatened by the hostage standoff,
mental-health
advocates say they would be upset by the police action and being
confined to
their quarters.
Ernest Peebles, a mental-health advocate who has been at Norristown for
nine
years, said he has worked with Maria Jordan and that her husband also is
a
mental-health professional.
He said both women hostages "are very professional. Maria has always
been very
patient-sensitive, always exhibited grace under pressure, has always
tried to
be fair."
He said she is "very sensitive to her employees and always stresses
patient
care first."
He said she would have been involved in the firing of Czajkowski.
Of Kepner, Peebles said, "She's very caring and very competent and a
good
supervisor."
He said he knew Czajkowski only "on the periphery."
A friend of Kepner's, who didn't want to be identified, said Kepner and
her
family are "salt-of-the-earth type people. She's a great lady. Really
calm.
Just a nice person."
Jack Boyle, deputy executive director of the Mental Health Association
of
Southeastern Pennsylvania, said Norristown is at full capacity now
because of
the closing of Haverford State Hospital.
Staff writer Gloria Campisi contributed to this report.