UPDATED: Bethel Schools Under Lockdown: Man Sought, found

Updated Report: 

2:45 pm Police Report:  

At 11:52, the Bethel Police Department received a phone call from an emotionally distraught man currently living in the Reynolds Ridge Apartments with his grandmother. He had become upset and stabbed himself in the wrist with a steak knife.  He left the scene and was last seen by his wife headed towards Berry School. Due to the close proximity to the school complex, schools were locked down to ensure students safety.

After an extensive search, the wounded man was found on the trails of the East Swamp are of Bethel off of Ballfield Road at about 1:40.  He was escorted to a waiting ambulance and brought to Danbury ER for evaluation. 

1:45 p.m.  According to Bethel Chief of Police Jeffery Finch, a 29 year old man was found in the swampy woods about a half mile behind the police station near the ballfield.

The man had stabbed himself three times in the arm, but once the police found him, he was able to walk out of the woods unassisted. The man was picked up by ambulance and brought to Danbury Hospital. It is not known if he was ever a Bethel student of if he has any documented history of mental illness.  The Chief of Police said he did not have the man's name at this time.

 It is believed the man was initially hoping not to be found, but he contacted his wife by cell phone, and the police were able to trace the call.

 The call was originally reported at 11:52 p.m., and he was picked up at approximately 1:30 p.m.

1:00 p.m.:  Just before 12:30 this afternoon, the Bethel Schools announced they were under lockdown. This is not a drill. According to a police officer on the scene, a suicidal man was on the school property and had not yet been located. The police do not believe that the adult male they are looking for is armed. “We have recovered the weapon he used to hurt himself,” the officer said. The weapon was not identified. The officer said, “This is a very active scene right now, and we can't say anymore.”

 Several undercover and uniformed police officers were covering the grounds at the Berry Elementary School, and an ambulance was parked behind the building. A plain clothes officer was overheard telling bus drivers to leave the property, circle streets and return later for students.

 According to Kristen Brooks, principal of the Berry school, the children were all inside and safe. The building is locked and only police officers have been able to get into the building.

 Nervous parents stood outside of their cars, listening to the recorded message sent out by the school. One parent told Patch that she had heard an officer say that information about the suicidal man had come from the man's family. The question on parents' lips, “Why did the person come to kill himself on school property?”