Man Who Made “Suicide By Cop” Threats Charged

DeBary, FL - A DeBary man who was shot after pointing a rifle at deputies during an incident at his home will now face charges. The suspect, who deputies have identified as 54-year-old Thomas Gentry, was wounded during an armed standoff at his home on Thursday (June 10) after aiming a rifle at deputies. Only one deputy fired at Gentry. Gentry survived his injuries and was taken to the hospital after he received emergency medical treatment from deputies on the scene; the same that tried to convince him to drop his rifle. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Gentry was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. When speaking to investigators, Gentry indicated that he’d fired one shot and said he hoped it didn’t hit anyone. However, evidence collected from the scene has yet to indicate that Gentry fired at all. The incident at Gentry’s home began around 8:15 after a 911 call about a highly intoxicated man who was threatening suicide following a domestic dispute came in. The caller additionally warned dispatch that the man, Gentry, said he would engage in a shootout with any law enforcement that shows up at his home. She also told dispatch about a number of weapons Gentry was taking out of his safe. When deputies arrived at the home they found Gentry in the driveway, armed with a rifle. After ignoring commands to drop his rifle, Gentry raised his rifle and pointed it at a deputy who then fired multiple times. After he was wounded, Gentry ran into his shed, where he was taken into custody. At a news conference regarding the incident, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said deputies fired around 9 to 10 shots, but it’s not clear how many hit Gentry. The sheriff additionally praised the response by the deputies as well as the detailed information provided by the 911 caller, saying that information helped keep deputies safe. According to Sheriff Chitwood, while deputies were tending to Gentry’s injuries, he grabbed the ankle of one deputy and began to apologize for the incident. Sheriff Chitwood also praised the urgent medical care deputies gave to Gentry after he was wounded and disarmed. "You watch the compassion after all this went down They’re tying tourniquets, they’re trying to talk to the guy and calm him down," said Sheriff Chitwood."The professionalism and compassion that they show on a daily basis when confronted with these things, I don’t think there’s a word to describe it." According to the sheriff, Gentry remains in the hospital and continues to recover from his injuries. It’s unclear when he will be released.