Four deputies on leave as investigation continues into fatal shooting following SWAT standoff

Four deputies are on paid leave as an investigation continues into the six-hour standoff with a gunman who took a Bradenton mobile home park manager hostage and was later shot dead after he fired at the SWAT team, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Glenn Watenpool, 68, fired at members of the sheriff’s office SWAT team as they entered the office inside the clubhouse at the Pescara Lakes mobile home just after 2 p.m. Thursday, forcing the deputies to return fire and shoot Watenpool, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A death investigation into the fatal shooting is underway by the Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit, which handles all death investigations. The four deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure following any deputy involved shooting, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow.

At about 7:45 a.m. Thursday, Watenpool entered the mobile home park office — armed with a handgun and shotgun — and pointed a gun at the 54-year-old park manager. The two men began to discuss what was upsetting Watenpool about being evicted, but when the conversation wasn’t going his way Watenpool pistol-whipped the manager.

Watenpool, a Pittsburgh native, was first notified on Aug. 29 that he had violated the park’s rules and regulations with harassing and intimidating conduct, according to court records.

“On numerous occasions, you have been witnessed harassing, stalking and making inappropriate accusations toward your neighbors and the employees of the community,” the notice stated.

He was given seven days to remedy the situation but failed to do so, Pescara Lakes alleged in its complaint. On Nov. 29, Watenpool was given 30 days to vacate the premises, but he refused to do so.

Pescara Lakes filed to evict Watenpool in county civil court on Jan. 31 citing that he continued to “harass, stalk and make inappropriate accusations toward his neighbors in the community.” On Nov. 24, Watenpool “followed another resident out of the neighborhood and followed the resident in his vehicle to two different locations honking his horn and making gestures towards the resident.”

The park said at the time that Watenpool’s behavior “unreasonably disturbs other residents in the community, endangers the life, safety and property of other residents, and constitutes a breach of the peace.”

In the response filed by Watenpool’s attorney Feb. 15, Watenpool denied harassing, stalking or making inappropriate accusations toward his neighbors. Watenpool claimed to have left the park at the same time as another resident and had initially been headed in the same direction for half a block.

Further, Watenpool’s attorney said the park had no authority to try to evict him for any behavior outside the park.

For more than six hours Thursday, Watenpool held the park manager hostage. Sheriff’s office hostage negotiators were called to the scene and tried unsuccessfully to get him to release the park manager.

“He made the point a couple times that this was his day to be heard, and this was how he was going to do it,” Sheriff Rick Wells said Thursday.

The park manager was taken to a local hospital Thursday afternoon immediately after the standoff concluded and was treated for the blow to his head.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Four deputies on leave as investigation continues into fatal shooting following SWAT standoff."