- November 1, 2024
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A man awoke to his grandfather threatening to shoot him with a revolver on the night of Monday, Sept. 18, according to a release by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Michael Ordakowski awoke to his grandfather, Michael Houlihan, pointing a gun at Ordakowski and his wife. Ordakowski locked Houlihan out of the house with the gun still in his hand while deputies were responding to defuse the situation.
Houlihan, who has dementia, was still armed with the handgun while outside the residence when deputies
arrived on scene.
“Often the information given in a call has changed by the time deputies arrive on scene, so we have to be prepared
for anything, especially when we know the individual is armed,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a release.
A response team was established using on-duty deputies, and contact with the 82-year-old Houlihan was made. Deputies instructed Houlihan to put his hands in the air and to walk slowly and safely toward them. Houlihan followed all verbal commands and was safely secured by deputies.
The gun, which was loaded and had the hammer pulled back, was retrieved from the scene. Houlihan was Baker Acted and transported to Halifax Health.
"Our deputies are trained in de-escalation and are prepared for situations like this," Staly said. "I’m very proud of our deputies and their training. This could have ended much differently."
Body camera video of the encounter can be viewed here.
