"I thought I'd let them down when he started shooting," Jones said in an emotional news conference in Panama City, Fla., where Tuesday's videotaped rampage by Clay Duke, 56, took place.
She was later identified as former teacher Rebecca Duke, who called her husband a "gentle giant" who she thinks missed his targets on purpose. "He didn't want anyone to get hurt but himself," she told reporters Wednesday. Police said they had found evidence at Duke's home that showed he'd been planning the attack for some time. He arrived with two full clips of ammunition.
Jones said he'd been in the building only five minutes when he heard shots being fired. The security guard, a former police officer with 20 years' experience, said he ran to the meeting room. "I opened the door with one hand and was firing with the other hand," he told reporters in his first public comments since the shootout.
At least 14 shots were fired before Duke fatally shot himself in the head. He had been wounded at least once by Jones. Police called the security guard a hero and said he'd saved the lives of board members.
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Jones said he was just doing his job. "I'm not a hero, folks," he said. "I don't know how I survived with all those shots fired."Jones was not in camera view when he shot at Duke. The guard said he was sure Husfelt had been hit. "When the superintendent came up from behind that counter and [board attorney] Franklin Harrison came up and hugged my neck, that's when I lost it like I'm losing it now," Jones said, breaking down. "It was like seeing a newborn baby for the first time."
Jones said he spent most of Wednesday praying with his pastor. "I just wanted to get right with God about this," he said. "I've taken somebody's life. ... Honestly, I shot the man ... I thought I was going to jail."