The family of the Hollister man suspected in Thursday’s
shootings at the Pentagon released a statement minutes ago. Read
that statement here in the aftermath of the incident involving the
late suspect, John Patrick Bedell.
The family of the Hollister man suspected in Thursday’s shootings at the Pentagon released a statement minutes ago. The following is that statement from the family of John Patrick Bedell:
“We are devastated as a family by the news from yesterday. To the outside world, this tragedy is the first and only thing they will know of Patrick. To us, he was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin. We may never know why he made this terrible decision. One thing is clear though – his actions were caused by an illness and not a defective character.
“We wish for the speedy and complete recovery of the two officers involved.
“The family asks that you respect their privacy in this terrible time.”
Below is an earlier story from the Free Lance staff:
The 36-year-old man suspected in the Pentagon shooting Thursday was from Hollister and graduated from San Benito High School, local and media sources have confirmed.
John Patrick Bedell was identified shortly after the shootings by the Associated Press.
Local sources have confirmed Bedell is the son of Kaye Bedell, the director of allied health at Gavilan College, and his father is John Bedell, Sr., a local financial planner. Bedell’s grandfather, O.J. Bedell, was the longtime president of Bank of America here.
San Benito County Supervisor Reb Monaco confirmed to the Free Lance he and his family have been “close” with the Bedells for “30-something years.”
“I am just shocked by it,” said Monaco, who had just heard about the local connection.
The District 4 supervisor said he has known Bedell since the suspected gunman was a “little kid” but he has not had contact with him in the past few years.
Monaco said the last he had heard, Bedell was going to school full time, but that was “several months ago.”
Bedell graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2002 in chemical engineering after also attending Gavilan College. He had been enrolled as a graduate student at San Jose State University last semester for electrical engineering, but was not enrolled for the spring.
Bedell graduated from San Benito High School, and district Superintendent Stan Rose said he believes it was in 1991.
It is unclear whether Bedell had a criminal history elsewhere, but San Benito County Courthouse records show that he had no documented, criminal history here. There also are no records of Bedell at the San Benito County Jail, according to personnel there.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said he was unsure whether the gun used in the shootings was registered here. He said the information would have to come from the FBI, which is handling the investigation.
Hill has received a flood of calls nationwide about the shootings and he pointed out how news outlets were lined at the gates of Ridgemark, where Bedell’s family lives, on Thursday night.
Hill declined to comment further and said he was awaiting more information from the FBI.
Look back for more on the John Patrick Bedell story.
Below is the story from McClatchy-Tribune News:
An armed man apparently planning to enter the Pentagon walked impassively up to police officers guarding the doors of the massive building and opened fire early Thursday evening, wounding two officers before he was shot himself.
Multiple media sources have confirmed the man is from Hollister.
The gunfight took place just yards from the entrance to the giant defense installation as workers were still heading home for the evening, police said. Workers were ordered back to their offices and the building was locked down for a period of time, with no one allowed in or out.
“He walked up, very cool. He had no distress, no emotion in his face,” said Richard S. Keevill, chief of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the civilian police agency that guards the five-sided building. “When he reached in his pocket, they assumed he was going to get his (building) pass out. He came out with a gun.”
The gunman began firing, hitting the two officers, who then fired back at the shooter. Both officers were taken to George Washington University hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The gunman was listed in critical condition.
The area just outside the Pentagon is heavily trafficked by commuters, serving as a transit hub both for the Washington Metro railway system and many of the region’s buses. The Metro station is one of the busiest in the Washington-area system, with thousands of commuters passing through, transferring from trains to buses.
The Metro entrance is just outside the doors of the Pentagon, meaning anyone can approach the building from the Metro. A force of officers guards the entrance during working hours and people who work inside must flash a badge before entering. Those without badges are ushered to a metal detector to be searched, then are escorted inside.
Officials did not identify the man or specify motives, although he was identified by the AP as 36-year-old John Patrick Bedell.
The Associated Press said investigators were considering the possibility that a second suspect was involved.
Officials refused to speculate on the gunman’s motives. “We just do not have enough information on the suspect to make those determinations this evening,” said Bryan G. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman.
However, Whitman agreed with Keevill that the gunman was trying to get inside the building.
“He was obviously trying to gain entrance,” said Whitman.
Police said no words were exchanged between the gunman and the officers before shots began flying, sending commuters screaming and scrambling for cover, witnesses told local television news stations.
Keevill said the officers were wearing protective vests. He said he could not say whether the gunman also was wearing a vest and would not describe the assailant’s clothing. Keevill would not say whether the man was a Defense Department employee. Police said a third officer was involved in the incident, but did not say in what way.
In 2005, a Pentagon police officer, James M. Feltis III, became the only officer to die in the line of duty when he was struck by a stolen car driven by a man who was fleeing police. No Pentagon police officers were killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon.
Related stories:
SBHS: Shooter attended school but left before graduating
Family was trying to get help for Pentagon shooting suspect
Childhood peer recalls gatherings with suspect and family
Bedell’s family releases statement: ‘We may never know why he made this terrible decision’
Apparent online presence shows suspect’s distrust of government
Updated: Suspected Pentagon gunman was from Hollister; recently attended SJ State
