PUTNAM COUNTY, FL – On Monday, at about 1:30 a.m. a teenage male told deputies that Lancy Keenan 43, of Palatka was holding his mother at gunpoint.
PPD Officer Matthew Buchanan and PCSO Sgt. Bohannon entered the residence and found Keenan sitting in a bedroom pointing a handgun at woman.
Officer Buchanan ordered Keenan several times to drop the gun however Keenan refused to do so and told the officers to he wanted them to “shoot him” and he “wanted to die.”
PPD Lt. Demetrious Johnson responded to the residence and entered the house with additional members of the police department and sheriff’s office. While standing in the doorway of the room with Officer Buchanan and Sergeant Bohannon, Lieutenant Johnson spoke to Keenan in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Keenan also told Lt. Johnson several times that he wanted officers to shoot him.
While Lt. Johnson continued to talk, Officer Buchanan decided to use a less lethal form of enforcement and re-holstered his firearm and pulled his Taser, pointing the Taser at Keenan. At one point while Lt. Johnson was talking, Officer Buchanan observed Keenan take his finger off the trigger to the handgun and loosen his grasp. Officer Buchanan took this opportunity to deploy his Taser, which caused Keenan to drop the firearm and allowed law enforcement officers to rush in and subdue him, taking him into custody.
Keenan was arrested and charged with three counts of false imprisonment, resisting officers with violence and three counts of aggravated assault. He was taken to the Putnam County Jail and held on a $25,000.00 bond
.The names of the adult female and the juveniles who were inside the home at the time of the incident are not being released.
“Situations like this one are why we continue to train all of our deputies in crisis intervention and remain committed to supporting all law enforcement agencies in Putnam and the surrounding area. The teamwork shown by the PPD officers and our deputies helped resolve this potentially deadly situation in a peaceful manner with no injuries,” the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said. “We are very thankful for the safe outcome of this incident. All of the officers and deputies involved showed great courage and restraint in the face of immediate danger as they work to safely resolve the issue. We are proud of all law enforcement members who were on scene and helped protect and save the lives of the victims involved in this case.”