The Nam in the News and on Facebook and Basically Everywhere Else: The Standoff

Working 3 1/2 hours of overtime on a Friday night isn't much different from being under a rock for the whole day. Imagine getting home, taking your pants off, starting to drink and cook dinner, and checking your Twitter feed to find tons of new organizations live-tweeting a standoff in a house in the Nam.

BREAKING: Police involved in chase, now standoff on North Gallatin Ave. in #Uniontown. Shots reportedly fired. #HSUTN pic.twitter.com/fhTb45Ca73
— Herald-Standard (@hsuniontown) September 27, 2013

The coverage was all pretty good, by the way, but at this point, you can just read the news articles. And some of the photos are insane. But the short version: cops got suspicious when they saw two people camping in Dunbar (camping in the Nam is equal parts normal and suspicious), which led to suspicions they were trying to make meth in a trailer. Then they took off in a pickup truck, and a chase ensued that went through Connellsville then around Uniontown, when the truck wrecked and they went into a house, where said standoff started.

Now, I didn't see any of this until it had already been going on for several hours, so by the time I got to it, they were mostly tweeting updates on the situation but not discussing the actual location. And then I saw where the chase ended up.

This is a post from my friend Bianca. Obviously, my first reaction was, "Oh, shit, scary that this is happening so close to B and her family!" My second reaction was, "Wait a second. My parents' house is pretty close to that, too." Not nearly as close as Bianca's and therefore not as much cause for concern, but still alarming. Unless you're my mom.

Me: I hear the SWAT team is in town! Mom: Yeah…LOL…Just another day in Fayette County! #FayetteStandoff
— Janelle Sheetz (@LittleJanelleS) September 27, 2013

My parents had actually been out of town, didn't know anything was happening, and tried to take the Gallatin Avenue exit off of 119 to get home, which basically leads you straight into the cop cars and SWAT team.

A few schools were closed, including Laurel Highlands high school, which is basically right up the road. In fact, Laurel Highlands High School traffic in the afternoon is a major reason why this intersection totally blows. The other reason is hills and bad drivers. Why is this not a three-way stop!?

In the end, two people were taken into custody and the man who barricaded himself in the house was found dead inside.

@hsuniontown I hope the State Police help the Uniontown Police wheel the cannon back up to the Court House. #HSUTN #sasquatch #WV #WVA
— Krafty.Wurker (@KraftyWurker) September 28, 2013

And I don't think it's a coincidence that this all happened on the same day Michael's opened in town.