Lockdowns at four Parkway schools end as police get suicidal suspect in custody

A lockdown at four Parkway district schools ended about 7 p.m. Monday after police took a suicidal Webster Groves man into custody.

The 19-year-old man had bought a shotgun about 3:30 p.m. and sent text messages to his parents and girlfriend saying he was going to kill himself, said Manchester Police Chief Tim Walsh. The man took his shotgun into a wooded area near Parkway South High School and Parkway Southwest Middle School.

Authorities said he made no threats against the schools, but the incident prompted the district to lock all doors at Southwest Middle and Wren Hollow and Hanna Woods elementary schools, district spokeswoman Cathy Kelly said. Police said there were after-school events at the schools.

Police from Manchester, Ballwin, Ellisville, the Missouri Highway Patrol as well as St. Louis County's tactical squad converged on the area, Walsh said. The Metro Air Support unit's helicopter hovered overhead to watch for human heat sources in the woods. Walsh said police also pinged his cellphone every couple of minutes to make sure he was still in the woods.

The man's parents showed up to help police persuade the man to come out of the woods peacefully, Walsh said. By about 6:45 p.m., the man emerged from the woods without the shotgun. He then led police back into the woods so that police could retrieve the gun.

No one was injured.

The man was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, Walsh said. Police are not planning to pursue charges against him.

"This was a distraught young man who is facing some challenges in his life," Walsh said. "We're going to give him a pass this time."

Police remained at the schools to escort staff or students to their cars to get home, Kelly said.

Walsh said he thinks the police response would have been the same regardless of Friday's shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn. He said Manchester officers are visiting schools over the next few weeks to walk through the halls and provide police presence.

"We want everyone to feel safe dropping their kids off at school," he said.