A Cape Coral man who was believed to have barricaded himself inside of a home Wednesday had reportedly intended to commit “suicide by cop.”
Cape police returned to a home at 422 N. Coral Drive at about 8:20 p.m. and found Michael David Schenker, 23, inside watching television. A neighbor had contacted police and reported that it appeared a TV was on inside the home.
Officers entered via an open sliding door and took Schenker into custody.
Schenker had been sought by police since Wednesday morning for allegedly threatening his sister and her boyfriend with a firearm at the home. Police had spent hours outside the home believing Schenker was barricaded inside.
Officers eventually entered the residence and found that he was not there.
When taken into custody, Schenker reportedly told police that his intention initially that morning had been to commit “suicide by cop.” He had reportedly planned to fire at police to force them to return fire and kill him, but he fled.
“This is the very reason that we follow protocol in potential barricaded gunman situations,” Lt. Tony Sizemore, spokesman for the Cape police, said in a prepared statement released Thursday.
“Mr. Schenker had very bad intentions yesterday morning. One of the main reasons that tragedy was avoided yesterday was the fact that the Cape Coral Police Department adheres to sound tactical standards,” he wrote.
“This has never been more vital as five Florida police officers have been killed by gun violence this year … and it’s only March,” Sizemore said.
Schenker was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and one count of resist officer obstruct without violence. On Thursday, he was being held with no bond at the Lee County Jail.
According to officials, police responded to a report of a disturbance at the Coral Drive home at 10:36 a.m. A man called 911 and reported that he and his girlfriend had been threatened with a handgun by her brother, Schenker.
The man told the 911 dispatcher that Schenker was armed and that he and his girlfriend had retreated to a bathroom inside of the home. The two exited the home through a door from the bathroom and met with responding police.
Schenker’s sister told officers that their mother was still inside of the home, along with her brother. The siblings’ mother was safety evacuated.
All three told police that Schenker was armed and still inside the residence.
The SWAT team responded with negotiators to talk Schenker out of the home, officials reported. It was later learned that enough time had lapsed between the couple’s exit and police arrival that Schenker could have left.
Schenker told police negotiators that he fled the home prior to officers arriving and he was not in the area when they got there. Efforts to talk to Schenker via telephone continued as he was unclear on his location, and his mother said her son had a tendency to hid in the attic to avoid authorities.
According to officials, it was becoming apparent Schenker had indeed fled the home, but police needed to confirm that information.
At some point in the negotiations, Schenker’s phone died and contact was lost. The SWAT team entered and searched the home. It was confirmed that he was not inside. Officers canvassed the area and asked neighbors for their help in locating Schenker.
“We are grateful for the partnership we have with out citizens,” Sizemore wrote in the statement. “This partnership took a dangerous man off of the streets of Cape Coral.”
Schenker has a court date scheduled for April 25.