Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Hudson, FL: Report: Man killed by Pasco deputy had history of violence

HUDSON --
Brian Keith Naab, the 49-year-old man shot and killed by a Pasco County sheriff's deputy on Christmas Day, had a history of domestic violence, according to reports released today by the sheriff's office.

One of the most chilling moments happened in February. During an argument with his live-in girlfriend, Candi Schoneman, Naab retrieved a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his gun safe and held it to his head, an incident report said.

Schoneman told a deputy she and Naab had this exchange:

"Should I do me first or you?" he asked.

"Shoot me," she replied. "It would be easier than living with you."

"I will blow my brains all over this room so you can clean it up," he said, then smiled and laughed.

Naab denied that conversation ever took place, but he was taken in for an evaluation that day under the state's Baker Act, which allows law enforcement to take people into custody temporarily when they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

That was the third time since July 2009 that deputies had been called to the home of Naab and Schoneman in domestic dispute cases.

The couple remained together, though, and just before 6 p.m. on Christmas Day a deputy once again headed to 6921 Southwind Drive after neighbors reported hearing shots fired and said that several houses had been struck.

When Cpl. Jose Valenzuela arrived at the address he saw Naab and Schoneman struggling over a shotgun in the front lawn, the sheriff's office reported.

Valenzuela ordered them to drop the weapon. Instead, Naab pulled a handgun from his waistband and aimed it at Valenzuela, a report said. Valenzuela fired multiple times, killing Naab, the report said.

Valenzuela was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which is routine when law enforcement officers use deadly force.

Sheriff's reports paint a picture of a heated situation that escalated over a two-year period on Southwind Drive.

On July 9, 2009, a deputy arrived at the couple's home about 11 p.m. to investigate a domestic dispute report. Naab and Schoneman said they had been drinking and were arguing loudly, but both said nothing physical had happened, a report said.

Naab had a cut on his hand, but told the deputy he had accidentally cut himself on his workbench in the garage, the report said. No one was arrested, but the deputy drove Schoneman to the corner of U.S. 19 and Hudson Avenue where a friend picked her up, the report said. Schoneman told the deputy she would not return home until morning.

A year later, on July 1, 2010, Naab was arrested on a domestic violence charge after Schoneman said he picked her up by the throat during an argument, a report said.

Then came the February faceoff in which Naab reportedly suggested he would shoot himself, Schoneman or both.

As Naab continued to hold the handgun that day, Schoneman dialed 911, a report said. Naab realized what she had done and ran to the garage where he left his pistol on the seat of his truck while he opened the garage door, the report said.

That gave Schoneman the opportunity to snatch the pistol without him noticing and he drove away, the report said. A deputy later located Naab in his truck and he was taken to Morton Plant North Bay Recovery Center for evaluation.

No comments: