Thread: Man Kills Himself in front of City Council

Man kills self in front of City Council after zoning decisionStory Highlights
NEW: Barber shop popular with 101st Airborne soldiers

Barber shop owner wanted his home rezoned as commercial

Before shooting self, man said: "Y'all have put me under. ... I'm out of here"Audience of about 50 ushered into hallway, where several people were sobbing


CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A business owner shot and killed himself during a City Council meeting Thursday night after members voted against his request to rezone his property, witnesses said.


Mayor Johnny Piper, third from left, talks with City Council members and others outside City Hall

Ronald "Bo" Ward, owner of Bo's Barber Shop, had told the council his business would go under if he couldn't get his home rezoned as commercial. After the 5-7 vote Thursday night, Ward stood and walked toward the council.

"Y'all have put me under. ... I'm out of here," he said before shooting himself in the head with a small handgun.

Fire and police officials attending the meeting immediately ushered the audience of about 50 into the hallway, where several people were sobbing.

At least one police officer is always on duty during council meetings, officials said. However, visitors are not required to go through a metal detector or any other screening.

"When a gun gets whipped out like that, someone is going to get shot, but I didn't know who," Councilman Bill Summers said. "You could've been right next to him, and I don't think you could have stopped that."

Mayor Johnny Piper said Thursday's council meeting would be the last held in that room.

Ward had said the rezoning would increase his property value, allowing him to secure a loan to offset debt he incurred when he expanded his shop.

Ward was well known for supporting soldiers from the nearby Fort Campbell Army post and was once recognized by its former commander, Gen. David Petraeus. His barber shop was often visited by media reporting on the local economic impact of thousands of soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division being deployed to Iraq.

"He treated soldiers like his own children," said George Heath, a longtime patron of Bo's Barber Shop and the Fort Campbell public affairs officer.

"If a soldier came in and said he needed a haircut but didn't have any money, Bo would cut his hair and tell him to pay him when he could."

In 2004, Petraeus, sent Ward a postcard during the division's first deployment to Iraq, thanking him for keeping his shop open during the deployment and "giving haircuts to children of our families." E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

All About Tennessee
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/owner. ... index.html

This is such a tragedy. We can spend billions helping illegal aliens but we can't help one of our own?

I DONT REALLY GET WHY HE COULDNT GIVE HAIRCUTS IN HIS HOME EVEN IF IT WASNT ZONED FOR BUSINESS. HE WAS JUST ONE GUY RIGHT? NOT LIKE HE HAD A WHOLE CREW. MANY PEOPLE WORK FROM HOME IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES. AS LONG AS THERE IS NOT TOO MUCH PARKING BY PATRONS.