Standoff between molestation suspect and Tallahassee police ends in suicide, TPD says

A man who police say missed his trial court date and barricaded himself in his home ended his life after a 10-hour standoff with local law enforcement and U.S. Marshals Friday.

Thursday afternoon at about 3 p.m., the Tallahassee Police Department evacuated homes in the 2900 block of Byington Circle, just off Mission Road, as part of their response to "an armed barricaded subject” who was “threatening suicide.”

After officers attempted to negotiate a peaceful surrender for several hours, "members of TPD’s TAC Team breached the residence and located 62-year-old Frank Copson concealed in a bathroom with the door closed," a statement from TPD spokesperson Heather Merritt read.

Officers continued communicating with Copson through the closed door for several more hours in efforts to resolve the incident peacefully and safely for everyone involved, Merritt added.

Copson ultimately shot himself after 1 a.m. Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

"This went on for a while, but that's because our TAC team does everything they can for a peaceful resolution," Merritt said. "They'd be here as long as was needed."

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Police call in the Rook, use flash bangs

The tense scene began when TPD and the U.S. Marshals responded to a request by the State Attorney’s Office to assist in the apprehension of Copson, who failed to appear in court Thursday for trial on "multiple counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation," the synopsis read.

After arriving at his home, police determined Copson had barricaded himself inside with a gun and evacuated the neighboring homes.

Law enforcement flooded the scene, and shortly after 6 p.m. at least two dozen TPD and Leon County Sheriff's Office cruisers packed the streets, along with a SWAT truck and the vehicles of evacuated residents.

At about 9:30 p.m., TPD brought in the Rook, an armored vehicle that is used in SWAT situations and standoffs. The Rook, which was used to get police inside the home, provides armored cover to officers and includes a hydraulic breaching tool, forklift and grapple claw.

A K-9 unit and flash bangs were also used during the standoff.

Coleman Panaro, who lives in the same block as the police perimeter, said “I've lived here a year and haven't had any issues like this ... it's generally pretty quiet."

Background on the case

In June 2020,  Copson was arrested for intentionally touching "in a lewd or lascivious manner ... a person less than 12 years of age" between 2002-2005 and 2008-2011, according to an arrest affidavit.

Copson didn't show up for his trial Thursday morning and a warrant was issued for his arrest. After hours of delay, the case resumed even as police were trying to locate him.

"Because the defendant willfully failed to appear at trial in an attempt to evade prosecution, the trial was conducted without his presence in accordance with Florida law," prosecutors wrote in a case synopsis. "The State presented the majority of its case-in-chief, including testimony of the victims."

The trial was to resume Friday morning with prosecutors closing their case and handing it to the jury for deliberations. However, after Copson's suicide, prosecutors said that was no longer possible.

"The victims in this case have shown tremendous strength in the face of unfathomable trauma," the state attorney wrote in a case synopsis. "While the State was unable to secure justice in the form of a conviction due to the defendant’s unwillingness to face a jury of his peers, it is the State’s hope that the victims are able to finally obtain closure."

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

CORRECTION: After correctly identifying the man who ended his life during the police standoff, references of his last name in the third section of the story were misspelled as Copman rather than Copson.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police standoff: Suspect ends his life