25 NEWS AT SIX STARTS NOW. NOW AT SIX RIVIERA BEACH. POLICE CONFIRM AN OFFICER SHOT A MAN THIS MORNING, THEY SAY WAS COMBATIVE IN THE PARKING LOT OF SUNCOAST HIGH SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL WAS IMMEDIATELY LOCKED DOWN AS THAT INVESTIGATION WENT ON. TONIGHT WE’RE LEARNING THE MAN WHO WAS SHOT IS ALIVE. HIS FAMILY IDENTIFIES HIM TO US AS 29 YEAR-OLD DELRAY C THOMAS. GOOD EVENING. I’M TODD MCDERMOTT. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE AT 6:00. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED. THE STUDENTS WERE ARRIVING AT SUNCOAST HIGH. ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE SAFE. WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU TONIGHT. WE’RE HEARING FROM THE PARENTS WHO HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAN WE SHOT. WE’LL BEGIN WITH MY CO-ANCHOR, FELICIA RODRIGUEZ WITH MORE ON THE INVESTIGATION AND WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING. FELICIA. TODD. RIVIERA BEACH POLICE TELL US DELROY THOMAS ENTERED SUNCOAST THROUGH THE PARKING LOT YOU SEE BEHIND ME. HE WAS THEN APPROACHED BY A POLICE OFFICER. THAT OFFICER ASKED WHAT HE WAS DOING THERE. THERE WAS A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THOMAS AND THE OFFICER AND RIVIERA BEACH. POLICE SAY THE OFFICER THEN FIRED TWO SHOTS, HITTING THOMAS. THOMAS WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. NOW THE SCHOOL SAYS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THE SCHOOL WAS PLACED ON LOCKDOWN IMMEDIATELY AND THEN TRANSITIONED TO LIMITED MOVEMENT. NEARBY CAMPUSES, INCLUDING DOCTOR MCLEOD BETHUNE ELEMENTARY, LINCOLN ELEMENTARY AND JFK MIDDLE SCHOOL WERE ALL PLACED ON LIMITED MOVEMENT ONCE THE SCENE WAS SECURED, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT GOT THE ALL CLEAR AND THE SCHOOL DAY CONTINUED WITH REGULAR INSTRUCTION FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO WERE NOT PICKED UP BY THEIR PARENTS. AFTER THE SHOOTING, BOTH THE OFFICER AND THOMAS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE OFFICER WAS RELEASED. WE’RE TOLD THOMAS IS STABLE. HE WILL FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES NOW. OUR SOOJI NAM SPOKE TO THOMAS’S FAMILY MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF THAT HOSPITAL. SHE’S JOINING US NOW OUTSIDE OF SAINT MARY’S MEDICAL CENTER WITH MORE SOOJI. WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU? FELICIA DEL ROY’S FAMILY MEMBERS TELL ME THAT HE WAS UNARMED, ARMED IN THE SITUATION THIS MORNING, AND ARE CONFUSED AS TO WHY THE OFFICER HAD TO USE A GUN INSTEAD OF A TASER. NOW THEN, NEVER KNOW. NO ATTACKING ANYBODY OR ANYTHING. WE LEARNED EARLIER TODAY THAT 29 YEAR-OLD DELROY CLIVE THOMAS FROM WEST PALM BEACH IS SCHIZOPHRENIC AND HAS DEPRESSION. HIS FAMILY SAYS THAT DELROY WAS ADMITTED INTO JFK NORTH HOSPITAL OVER THE WEEKEND TO POSSIBLY BE BAKER ACTED, WHICH IS A FLORIDA LAW THAT CALLS FOR SOMEONE TO HAVE AN INVOLUNTARY MENTAL HEALTH EXAM IF THEY’RE HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. MY BROTHER GOT A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM AND WE ARE TRYING TO FIND HOW TO SHINE SOME LIGHT ON JFK, ON TRYING TO FIND ANSWERS, ON WHY THEY KEEP RELEASING HIM WHEN THEY CAN SEE HE CLEARLY HAVE A PROBLEM. THE FASTER THEY GET HIM IN, THEY JUST THEY JUST RELEASED THEM YESTERDAY AND NOW LOOK, THEY TELL ME THAT THEY WERE NOT MADE AWARE THAT DELROY WAS DISCHARGED FROM JFK AND WERE SHOCKED TO SEE THEIR LOVED ONE ON THE NEWS THIS MORNING, HIS FAMILY SAYS DELROY WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST AND THE LEG AND REMAINS IN THE HOSPITAL. RIVIERA BEACH WEST PALM BEACH AND PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE AS WELL AS FDLE OFFICIALS, WERE AT SAINT MARY’S MEDICAL CENTER ALL MORNING AS THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. I THOUGHT WE THOUGHT IT WAS DEAD. I’M LIKE, SHOT HIM FOR WHAT? WELL, HE’S NOT VIOLENT, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING? AND THE POLICE ARE GOING TO TELL ME THAT THEY SHOOT TO STOP. YOU SHOT HIM IN THE LEG. WHY Y’ALL AIN’T TASED HIM? HE NEVER BEEN WITH NO WEAPON. AND I REACHED OUT TO JFK NORTH HOSPITAL ABOUT WHAT HAD OCCURRED OVER THE WEEKEND. A SPOKESPERSON SAID THAT THEY WOULD HOPEFULLY SEND ME A STATEMENT IN TIME FOR THE 5:00 NEWSCAST. I HAVEN’T HEARD BACK YET, BUT O COURSE WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS WE LEARN MORE. FELICIA, BACK TO YOU. SOOJI. THANK YOU. I WANT TO BRING IN NOW OUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, TERRY PARKER. AND I KNOW, TERRY, YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THOMAS’S BACKGROUND. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? RIGHT. WE WANTED TO SEE IF HE HAD ANY HISTORY OF ACTING THIS WAY. AND IT TURNS OUT THAT HE DOES THAT SINCE JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, COURT RECORDS SHOW THAT HE’S BEEN ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AFTER A WARNING AT LEAST FOUR, IF NOT FIVE TIMES. HE ALSO HAS THREE FELONIES IN HIS PAST. ABOUT 12 TO 15 YEARS AGO, ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS. DELRAY CLIVE THOMAS WAS ARRESTED WHEN NEITHER A POLICE OFFICER OR A PROPERTY OWNER TRIED TO GET THOMAS TO LEAVE THE PREMISES AND HE REFUSED, MEANING HE ENDED UP IN JAIL. MOST RECENTLY BACK ON APRIL 10TH. IT WAS AT A LOCAL HOTEL, THE INTOWN SUITES. THE MANAGER CALLED POLICE BECAUSE THOMAS WOULDN’T LEAVE. HE WAS FOUND GUILTY OF TRESPASSING AFTER A WARNING AND SENTENCED TO TIME SERVED. AND IT’S A SIMILAR STORY FOR THE OTHER TRESPASS ARRESTS. FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM JFK HOSPITAL IN MARCH, HE REFUSED TO LEAVE AND WAS ARRESTED. RECORDS SHOW THOMAS ALSO HAD THREE FELONY ARRESTS BACK IN 2011, 2012 AND 2014, AND THAT ONE COURT RECORDS SHOW HE WAS CHARGED WITH BATTERY ON AN OFFICER WHILE IN JAIL. RECORDS SHOW HE MADE THREATS TO KILL THE OFFICERS. THOSE CHARGES WERE LATER DROPPED. CITY COUNCIL CHAIR DOUGLAS LAWSON SAYS HE IS RELIEVED POLICE HANDLED THE CONFRONTATION QUICKLY, AND THEY COULD LET PARENTS KNOW THE SITUATION WAS UNDER CONTROL. JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT WE WE HAD THEIR CHILDREN SAFE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END AND THAT RIVIERA BEACH OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN IT QUICKLY AND TAKE CARE OF THEM, KEEPING THEIR KIDS SAFE. AND THE FACULTY AND STAFF. AND LOOKING BACK INTO DELRAY THOMAS’S PAST RUN INS WITH THE LAW, HE DOES HAVE THESE TRESPASSING CHARGES. MOST OF THEM DID NOT END UP WITH A JAIL TIME OR A LENGTHY PROBATION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. HE WAS ON PROBATION MORE RECENTLY FOR A FEW YEARS. BUT IN THIS CASE, POLICE DO TELL US THAT WHEN HE CAME ONTO THE CAMPUS OF SUNCOAST HIGH SCHOOL, THE POLICE OFFICER DID SAY, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? AND THAT’S WHEN THE CONFRONTATION STARTED. SO IT WAS SORT OF A SIMILAR EVENT TO WHAT HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH IN THE RECENT PAST. LIVE IN RIVIERA BEACH. I’M TERRI PARKER, WPBF. 25 NEWS. THANK YOU TERRY. AND AS WE MENTIONED, CLASSES WERE ABLE TO RESUME AFTER THINGS QUIETED DOWN HERE ON CAMPUS. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAID THERE WAS NEVER ANY THREAT TO THE STUDENTS ON CAMPUS OR TO THE STAFF HERE. OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES NOW WITH ANGELA ROZIER. SHE’S BEEN COVERING THIS STORY AS WELL ALL DAY LONG. SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU? YOU KNOW, WELL, PARENTS WE TALKED TO, THEY WERE CONCERNED. AND AFTER GETTING EITHER A TEXT MESSAGE MESSAGE OR EITHER A PHONE CALL FROM THEIR CHILD TELLING THEM ABOUT A SHOOTING HERE ON CAMPUS. WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE NOW, ALL CLEAR, THOSE PARENTS ARE RELIEVED. THIS IS WHAT THE SCENE LOOKED LIKE THIS MORNING NEAR THE CAMPUS HERE AT SUNCOAST COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL. WHEN WE ARRIVED, ACCESS TO THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT WHERE THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE WAS BLOCKED OFF FROM THE PUBLIC. ONE WOMAN WE TALKED TO LIVES ACROSS THE STREET, AND SHE SAYS SHE HEARD THE SHOTS AND KEPT HER YOUNG CHILDREN INSIDE. AS SOON AS OFFICERS GAVE THE ALL CLEAR, PARENTS WERE ALLOWED TO PICK UP THEIR STUDENTS EARLY. SOME OF THOSE PARENTS TELL US THEY RECEIVED FRANTIC CALLS AND TEXTS FROM THEIR CHILDREN. HE CALLED ME. HE WAS IN THE IN THE BATHROOM WITH SOME FRIENDS AND HE SAID HE THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, WAITING FOR SOME NEWS. BUT THERE WAS A SHOOTER OUTSIDE. SHE WAS SO NERVOUS. SHE CALLED. SHE SAID SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENING. SHE’S RUNNING. EVERYONE IS SCREAMING. SHE WAS VERY SCARED. SHE SAID TO ME, I MAY DIE TODAY. I’M LIKE, NO, HONEY, YOU’RE NOT. IT’S OKAY. YOU’RE GOING TO BE OKAY. THE SCHOOL REMAINED OPEN FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND CLASSES CONTINUED WITH REGULAR INSTRUCTION. NOW THE FDLE WILL BE HANDLING THIS INVESTIGATION, AND SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICIA