Gunman in Custody in NY Hostage Standoff is Former Student

Pine Plains Town Supervisor Gregg Pulver reported that the gunman at Stissing Mountain High was a former student in his 40s. There were no injuries to students or faculty at the high school.

Multiple sources have said the man in custody is Christoper Craft, a Pine Plains resident.

Bob Hess, the middle school principal, who had been taken hostage, has been released unharmed.

Armed officers stood guard at the New York high school while the handcuffed man was led to an ambulance. He was then checked by paramedics.

MyFoxNY.com said the man suspected of holding the principal hostage has a son in the military and is upset with the government.

Earlier in the morning, Pine Plains Town Supervisor, Gregg Pulver, stated that gunman was contained to a room at Stissing Mountain High School and are negotiations are in progress.

Bruce Kimball, vice president of the school's board of education, told the press that a lockdown drill was held November 5 to practice for an emergency situation.

“Everyone did the right thing and knew what to do today,“ Kimball said. "This turned out the best way it could."

By 10:15 a.m., police were working on a plan to evacuate students and reunited them with their parents.

Town Supervisor Pulver stated that, "The students are not all out of the school. ... We have to provide the counseling to the students who need and figure out the best way to re-unit students and parents. They are working on that."

Anxious parents waited to be reunited with their children outside of Stissing Mountain High School once the gunman was in police custody.

Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com

sources: Fox news, Poughkeepsie Journal
image: Poughkeepsie Journal