Terrifying moment teenage gunman took aim at police
THIS is the terrifying moment a gun-wielding teenager took aim at officers after he sparked a major firearms incident on a Scottish island. Samuel Barlow was moments away from being shot by firearms officers on Shetland Mainland as he roamed the streets, threatening residents.
The 16-year- old pointed his rifle at armed police several times and officers had to consider on a number of occasions whether or not to open fire.
In court, Barlow was told it was only the professionalism and courage of
‘It was very close to a fatal outcome’
officers which prevented the stand-off ending with a fatality.
At the hearing Barlow – who was described as an inmate of Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution, near Falkirk, Stirlingshire – admitted four charges of assault and one of abusive and threatening behaviour.
At the height of the incident on September 23, every available officer in Shetland was called out and specially trained personnel from Inverness were flown in to provide back-up.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie recalled the day when local residents were urged to stay indoors while police dealt with an ‘extremely serious’ situation that lasted several hours and had a ‘major impact on the community’.
Dressed in camouflage trousers and a beige top, Barlow was first seen walking with a rifle near Scord Quarry, at the outskirts of Scalloway, shortly after midday.
Two police officers, alerted by concerned islanders, were unable to approach Barlow and had to take refuge behind a fire station building when he took aim at them.
After taking to the hills, Barlow appeared in the Westerloch area of Lerwick, the island’s main town, later the same afternoon.
He walked t hrough several people’s gardens, threatened local residents and aimed his rifle at police officers who were trying to negotiate a peaceful solution to the stand-off.
Mr Mackenzie told Lerwick Sheriff Court: ‘999 calls were now coming in thick and fast, and a major police incident was declared.
‘It is difficult to convey the concern that there was.’
At that stage, police did not know who they were dealing with or the type of weapon.
Mr Mackenzie said: ‘I am not sure if the accused appreciates how close he became to being shot by police.’
There had been a number of occa- sions where they had to decide whether to fire, he added.
Unhappy with the police negotiators, Barlow moved out of view again, and officers decided to ‘move beyond containment’ and make ‘an aggressive approach towards him’.
Mr Mackenzie said: ‘This was a very dangerous situation police officers were in.
‘At the very end, only as the accused was restrained, it was confirmed he had only an air rifle.
‘The accused owes the officers a debt of gratitude for their professionalism and indeed their cour- age. It was very close to a fatal outcome.’
At the hearing on Wednesday, sentence on Barlow was deferred until January 7 for psychological and psychiatric reports.
Tommy Allan, defending, said he would wait for the psychological report before addressing the court in mitigation. His application for Barlow to be bailed was refused.
Sheriff Philip Mann said he had no option than to keep him in custody, adding a custodial sentence was very much a possibility.