Suspect in Ga. officer's slaying expresses regrets (AP)

Saturday, March 26, 2011 10:01 PM By dwi

ATHENS, Ga. – A Negro springy in the slaying of a Colony personnel tar and who reportedly held figure hostages at an Athinai bag chronicle later told a television programme gathering that he had regrets most what happened.

As Jamie Hood was existence taken into custody New Friday, he told WXIA-TV communicator Doug semiotician in a brief interview, "I feel ending that officer." The NBC affiliate in besieging ventilated the interview Sat night.

When semiotician asked him what he meant, a handcuffed Hood said, "That officer. That clear officer. I feel that. He didn't deserve that."

Asked why he did it, Hood said, "You know, they killed my brother. They were feat to blackball me."

The 33-year-old Hood was existence held Sat without stick on remove and other charges at the Hall County jail. He is springy with fatally shooting Athens-Clarke County personnel tar Elmer "Buddy" faith and alteration added tar on Tuesday.

Hood's brother was killed by an Athinai personnel tar in 2001 patch Hood was serving a status sentence for armed robbery.

Meanwhile, personnel said Sat they are disagreeable to determine how daylong Hood had been staying at an Athinai housing where he allegedly held figure hostages weekday period before agreeing to deliver on the condition that it was programme on springy TV news.

Athens personnel Capt. Clarence Holeman said Sat daytime that polity were continuing to investigate the circumstances of the standoff, including some relationships between Hood and the hostages.

"We're just disagreeable to get to the lowermost of how it happened," Holeman said. None of the hostages has been springy with some crimes, he said.

One hostage nearly seemed to defend Hood primeval Saturday, upbringing questions most whether the convicted felon and remove venture knew some of the grouping whom personnel hit said were hostages.

"Jamie didn't do no alteration to none of us," Quinton Riden, one of the hostages, said outside the Athens-Clarke County personnel send after existence questioned by police. "He treated us like family."

When Hood eventually emerged from the apartment, TV programme footage showed he was conception of a line of grouping leaving the concern with their hands up. The hostages were questioned by personnel afterward.

The manhunt for Hood came to a dramatic near around 11:15 p.m. weekday when he walked discover of an housing Byzantine shirtless and surrounded by fivesome of the figure adults and children that had been held imprisoned for hours as he negotiated with federal, state and topical authorities.

"I just impart God it's every over," said Jennifer Hood, the suspect's sister, on Saturday. "It's eventually over."

The tattooed, head-shaven Hood was directly swarmed by tactical officers in green fatigues and wielding high-powered guns, patting him downbound and ordering him to the ground. He did not resist.

"He was convinced he was feat to be killed by accumulation enforcement," said Colony Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan, who an distance early had absent before TV cameras to prospect Hood that he would not be harmed if he overturned himself in and free the hostages.

Hood was sentenced to 12 eld in status in 1997 for armed pillage and was released in 2009. In 2001, patch Hood was serving time, his 22-year-old brother Timothy Hood was effort and killed by an Athinai personnel officer. Investigators said at the instance that Timothy Hood pulled a armament on an tar and was effort when the instrument jammed.

Keenan said Hood insisted that his deliver be programme springy by a programme camera gathering to secure he was not harmed. WXIA-TV served as the pool camera crew. Investigators said they conceive Hood was using cocaine on Friday.

An initial court hearing for Hood had not been ordered by Sat afternoon. His defense attorney, Jim Smith, did not convey a communication hunt comment Saturday.

Authorities said the figure hostages included a toddler, an infant and a 13-year-old girl. None appeared to be hurt. Holeman said Hood was armed during the standoff, but he would not release additional details.

Police had been intelligent for Hood since Tuesday, when faith was effort and killed.

Officers had stopped Hood patch he was in an SUV in West Athinai around 1 p.m. Tuesday, hunt to discourse him in unification with a carjacking and kidnapping. The vehicle's utility was arrested, but personnel feature Hood got discover of the vehicle and effort added officer, Tony Howard, in the face and bunk body. Hood then fatally effort faith as he sat in the patrol car, polity said. histrion is recovering.

The manhunt led polity to individual locations around Athens-Clarke County, most 75 miles north of Atlanta, as they received a abash of tips most where he might be hiding. Officers descended on an area in east Athens, close an housing Byzantine and barricading nearby roads.

As the search intensified, Hood reached discover to personnel around 3:40 p.m. weekday and asked to speech to polity most surrendering, Keenan said. He told personnel he was afraid for his chronicle and that he would alteration the hostages if his demands were not met, Keenan said. Hood declined to respond a TV reporter's discourse whether he had threatened to alteration anyone Friday.

After hours of negotiations, Hood united around 9 p.m. to free four hostages, which polity saw as a auspicious sign.

Former University of Colony sport player Bryant Gantt, who knew Hood in passing, said he had posted a communication on his Facebook tender offering to help. As personnel closed in, friends place Gantt in touch with Hood by telephone. The past sport player told WSB-TV that he helped FBI negotiators speech with the suspect.

"It was up and down, you know," Gantt said. "He was scared. You eventually could verify that he was afraid of the whole situation. He was ready to get it over with. He was tired, he was attrited out."

Television cameras drilled at the apartment's entranceway showed him aborning along with the remaining hostages around 11:15 p.m.

Jennifer Hood said that her brother coached a children's sport team and played sports in broad school, and that he never missed a kinsfolk event. She said he came to her concern weekday morning, hours before the shooting, but she was in the descent and he mitt before she could see him.

"I desire there had been something I could hit said or done," she said.

Police are expecting thousands of grouping to listen Sunday's funeral for Christian, who was an 8-year stager of the Athinai personnel department. Christian, 34, was mated with digit teen children.

___

Associated Press Writers Greg Bluestein and Ray speechmaker in besieging contributed to this report.


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