Barricaded Army reservist shot dead by police

An Army Reservist despondent about being sent to Iraq was killed by police during a 14-hour standoff that began Christmas night when family members told authorities he was armed and threatening to kill himself.

James Dean, 28, was barricaded inside his dad's house with a multitude of weapons on Christmas night. He was threatening to kill himself and anyone who entered the house. During the standoff, Dean fired several shots at the police. One of the shots hit just feet away from a deputy--it hit the door of a police vehicle. According to family members, Dean was despondent about heading to Iraq. He had already served 18 months in Afghanistan and did not want to go back. "His dad told me that he didn't want to go to war," a neighbor of his father said. "He had already been out there and didn't want to go again." I don't understand committing suicide or firing at the police because he didn't want to go to war--he wanted to avoid death, but instead of avoiding it he, he was the catalyst for it. Another sign of the times..we must finish the job we started, but we also need to do it fast--to avoid unfortunate incidents like this one.