Bladen County standoff has deadly end

As a 20 year veteran of a department, I think those who don't wear a badge and have never been in a situation that involves a firearm and it is a threat to your life should think twice before making the comments that are being made. Not really sure where the "30 shots fired",is coming from. Maybe it was when he was shooting into the woods where some officers were. This must be how many times Mr. Adams fired his weapon during the whole day. The bullet holes that some are describing they have found could possibly be from the Adams weapon that he fired. This incident is still under investigation I'm sure. I think we should all, including myself, wait and see what the final outcome of the investigation reveals before criticizing law enforcement or the family for what they should have done. Whether it is 1 or 30 "U" don't know what you would do until you are in that situation. I can speak from experience after being pinned down for 6 hours from gunfire from an assault rifle. This is only 1 incident of many involving a weapon for me and probably will not be the last. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Adam's family and with the officers involved with this incident.

We should have this much attention and publicity focused on the real dangers in our community. Those dealing the drugs, abusing the innocent and robbing us blind. Maybe when someone calls for police protection in these situations the accused will be met with the same brutality.

I have read most of the comments that have been written about this situation. Why does all the fingers have to start pointing when something like this happens. The old saying says when you point your finger at someone you have 3 pointing back at yourself. My points are... Law enforcement was not doing house calls that morning they were requested to come because someone needed help once they were at the location they could not leave an armed man who had already shot at his wife to harm anyone else. It was already proven he was willing to shoot at someone Paperwork was taken out and by law they now have to do something. If you were in the area it was proven that it went on for several hours I don't think rushing in can even come into this matter I don't think anyone wanted the outcome they got that day nor did they plan for it to be that way. When someone talks about how many shots I think the number 30 has come up on several articles, has anyone counted the number of times he shot because when you're counting you have to count them all Next I was not the one standing in a location getting shot at and more than a few times. You have to somewhere ask yourself when you say they had no regards for him then why did it go on for so long and why did they not do this when they first got at the location It appears that people see things that makes it easier for them to handle the part they did or could have played in this situation. When you ask why LEO did this or that ask why the people that knew him best did or didn't do more. When you ask why LEO did or didn't do this or that ask why he had guns when it has been said he had been off his meds for days. When you ask questions ask them all When you read the articles that say LEO did this or that ask yourself what the articles would have read if they had left an armed man in a populated area with neighbors and family around and he finished what he started earlier that day. When you are not the one sworn to protect it is really easy to pass judgement but until you dress in the uniform and pin that badge on you can only say what you think you would have done. My sympathy does go out to the family but it also goes out to the officers who had to be involved in this situation

Everyone wants to question the officers tactics in this case and it is really easy to suggest shooting the suspect in the leg or tackling him when you arent the one who has to do it. As a family member and freind of many law enforcement officers, i know how hard their jobs are, low pay, long hours and no respect from the average citizen. These men and women are there to serve and protect the public and then when they defend themselves and return gunfire at an armed suspect they are wrong. Obviously whoever suggested that the man was harmlessly firing into the air has no experience with firearms. It is easy to criticize when you are not the in the line of fire. This is a tragedy shared by all including the officers and their families.

I am a registered nurse who was formerly married to a law enforcement officer. I can tell you that they are there to protect our citizens. That means you, John Q. Public. Had the victim shot and killed someone himself, whether a law enforcement officer, or family member, this whole story would read differently. This is a tragedy, no doubt. But remember, the victim was out of control, no longer on his medications, and a threat to EVERYONE around him. We all have a job to do. The Bladen Co. Sheriff's dept. was just trying to serve and protect. We should try to think about what that law enforcement officer and his family are going through, also.

Would have, should have, could have...I am sincerely sorry for this families loss, and even more sorry for how it all went down. Thirty shots? Seems incredibly excessive. This is hard news to swallow.

I think if Mr. Thomas Adams would have meant to kill someone he would have. This man has no criminal background. Why not wait it out instead of taking him down? These are trained police, they know what will kill someone. Why not shoot him in the leg so he will fall or hide beside the door where he was to come out at and tackle him. They really didn't have to shoot him at all. They have tear gas and why didn't they shoot that in the house whenever he was in the house. Whats the need in having it, if you're not going to use it. He was at his own house and everyone has arguments. It sounds like to me the police were wanting attention from the media and not caring about one's family. She called the police out there to help not to come out there and kill a person. I think they had no right shooting him near the heart, because they are trained (so said), so why not lower? That was uncalled for. My deepest sympathy goes out for the family.

This takes me back to my previous point why does everyone feel that the crime was justified by him being shot at 30 times? All it took was 1!! Not only did they butcher his body by all of the gunfire, the house was demolished by bullet holes. Looks like someone needs more target practice. First and foremost you have to remember that this man was a husband and a father and I would appreciate a little RESPECT for the ones that are grieving for him and trying to make sense of all that has happened. I'm sure that if it were your father, husband or anyone in your family...you would feel a little bitter about the situation, especially when you have a news camera in your face 15 minutes afterwards.

The police officers completely went overboard with this situation. They could have wounded Tommy Adams without killing him. He never shot at anyone-he shot into the air-he never threatened an officer or held anyone hostage. He never had a history or mental illness therefore the entire situation should have been handled differently. Tommy was a deer hunter-if he had wanted anyone dead-that would have happened before he was shot. Steve Ludlum asked the officers to back off so that the family could try to calm him down to reason with him. The law enforcement would let NO-ONE....no family member NO-ONE try to reason with him at any point or time. The only way 1 family member was able to get to Tommy to talk to him was to slip thru the woods near the home and get to him. They actually sat and talked and had a conversation-but the "authorties" supposedly want to "negotiate" as they call it and made this person leave. Leave so there would be no witnesses...the only people that feel like the "law enforcement" did the "right thing" is the law enforcement. So to the people who believe that the law did the right thing wait until you are in this situation and see how you feel..Tommy-you will be missed and you were loved because I still remember the times at the beach fishing,and digging oysters when we were children when me and Dale were children..

I feel bad for the family, I feel bad for the officers involved. I'll say a prayer for both sides. I'm a law enforcement officer that survived being severely shot by a bad guy several years ago, and I know what it feels like to shoot someone. To take a life or have yours taken, THAT'S WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO. THANK GOD, no officer was shot in this case and maybe if just one round had been fired at the subject he would have been given the opportunity to injure an officer or a family member and then they would have to live with the aftermath of its horrors. Bottom line when it's your life hanging on a thread, you're not counting how many times you pull the trigger, believe me, you can't pull it enough. Once again I feel for the family. No family should ever have to live with such a terrible tragedy and no family should have to live with a folded flag.

My home town was Bladenboro and being a small town every one knows every one. So all of you that new Tommy know that this was so wrong and should have never ended this way. I was his neighbor for 24 years. I grew up living next to him and his family. And I can honestly say not one bad thing about him. I only knew a good man, a man that would never hurt any one. He was a good neighbor and a good person. I just don't see how any one could not think that there could have and were so many other steps that could have been taken to prevent this out come. He will be missed. All we can do now is pray for his family and pray that justice is served to the one's that made this gruesome decision to take some ones life like this. My thoughts and prays are with his family.

DONT POINT A FIREARM AT LAW ENFORCEMENT!!! Much Less Squeeze a round off at them! No one should be pissed over this. Not even the family. Who thinks its a good idea to walk outside, point a gun at the cops, and squeeze the trigger??

Just a little fyi...the meds that he was not taking were his insulin shots and meds for high cholesterol. He was not taking any type of mental illness meds! This is a man who refused to take his insulin shots and his body and mind started to shut down. The family tried consistently to give him his medication and he refused. What is a person to do, have him committed to mental institution because he refuses his insulin? People please, his family had no indication that he would do anything like this! They are not blaming the police for his death, just that they should have handled things differently. Let's hope that this incident was a great training tool on what NOT to do if this was to occur again.