By ROBIN FITZGERALD
GULFPORT -- Police, responding to a report of an armed man with a hostage barricaded in an east Gulfport grocery store, said they found Clayton Blanchard’s silver Dodge Caravan at the store’s entrance with its engine running and loud rap music on its radio.
Police Chief Alan Weatherford said Blanchard died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest later Thursday after a two-hour standoff that resulted in the evacuation of area businesses and blocked streets at Pass and Cowan roads.
Blanchard had released the woman -- identified by friends as his estranged wife and a Winn-Dixie employee -- and stepped outside the store to shoot himself with one of three weapons he had brought in, Weatherford said.
“He shot himself with a handgun. He had a semi-automatic assault rifle, two handguns and multiple ammunition. No shots were fired by law enforcement. I am pleased we were able to protect innocent bystanders, including our police force and the numerous agencies who came to help.”
Blanchard, 27, had been served papers a week ago in a domestic case and was to appear in municipal court Thursday morning for a hearing on an emergency protection order.
“He failed to show up at court,” Weatherford said.
The store is on a heavily traveled corridor just north of the beach. The incident is the city’s most highly visible hostage situation in years.
The store remained closed for the night, but was expected to reopen at 6 a.m. today.
Police received the call at 11:27 a.m. Thursday and began evacuating customers and workers at Winn-Dixie and nearby McDonald’s, CVS Pharmacy and Family Dollar. Police said they were taken to a secure location.
Blanchard’s wife was the only person police were unable to immediately retrieve. Police confirmed Blanchard was holding her at gunpoint behind the bakery counter.
Area resident David Wheeler said he was driving west on Pass Road from Biloxi when traffic began to slow down.
“I knew something was up when I looked in the Winn-Dixie parking lot and saw a police officer leaning over the hood of a car with a rifle,” he said. “I was wishing people would hurry up and get out of the way. Innocent people can be killed just as easily as a person in direct harm’s way.”
Police began diverting traffic, and brought in a command bus for negotiations as a tactical team with SWAT gear surrounded the store.
“We were in communication with him (Blanchard) throughout the negotiations by various methods,” Weatherford said.
The Biloxi Bomb Squad unloaded a device that appeared to be used to get a close-up view inside the store. Harrison County deputies arrived, along with Gulfport firefighter-paramedics and FBI and federal firearm agents. American Medical Response positioned ambulances, a helicopter and a bus nearby.
Online news reports received on smart phones drew dozens of onlookers to the area. Some gathered around Taco Bell at Handsboro Square.
Amy Hopkins of Woolmarket said she had just left Winn-Dixie and had gone to CVS when she saw the commotion and heard a woman say a gunman had put a rifle in a shopping cart and rolled the cart into the store.
Matthew Hollemann of Gulfport set up lawn chairs on the sidewalk.
“I’m not scared,” Hollemann said.
“I am,” said Alex Meinzinger, a friend who came with him.
Michael Moses of Gulfport watched through binoculars.
A break in negotiations came at 1:25 p.m., when officers escorted a visibly shaken woman from the front of the store and into the privacy of the police command post.
Four minutes later, a single shot was heard. Police said Blanchard stepped just outside the exit and shot himself.
An ambulance rushed Blanchard to a hospital with a police escort. He was taken into surgery, police said, but died of his wound.
Weatherford said he was pleased to receive help from other agencies and relieved no one else was hurt.
“This was clearly a threat to the safety of all who were in the area,” he said.
Had Blanchard lived, he would have faced criminal charges, Weatherford said.
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