Chief: Hostage suspect’s goal was to be killed

The man wounded in a hostage situation in Eunice wanted to have police kill him, Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said at Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
Bryan Britnell, 33, of Eunice, moved toward police with the intent to be killed on Nov. 30 at the intersection of Park Avenue and 9th Street, Fontenot said.
The police chief said Louisiana State Police, who are investigating the shooting, have given him a preliminary report.
“...from everything that they seen so far they find no fault with any of the actions of the officers,” he said.
Officers who were on administrative leave following the shooting returned to duty on Tuesday, he said.
Police received a call about a hostage situation at about noon.
“When the officer responded the suspect had taken the victim out of the house and placed her in a car at knife point,” he said.
Britnell had been staying at the house for a couple of days and was refusing to leave and threatening the woman, Fontenot said.
The officer spotted Britnell and the victim leaving the house and followed them, he said.
The officer was trying to radio other officers to let them know what was going on, but the radio system failed, he said. Fontenot said radio system failures are not uncommon in Eunice.
“He was unable to communicate with the other officers. It so happened the other officers were at that intersection where they were driving up to setting up a staging area for the hostage situation, which was about a block away,” he said.
“Today, I got a call that they are trying to rush up some proceedings in court to try to get him (Britnell) out of the parish jail because they are having problems with him wanting to commit suicide in the parish jail,” Fontenot said.
“There is an issue with this guy,” he said.
Britnell was taken to Lafayette General Hospital after the shooting. He was released from the hospital on Dec. 5 and taken to the St. Landry Parish Jail.
Britnell is charged with domestic aggravated assault and second-degree kidnapping.
The State Police report will be made to the St. Landry Parish District Attorney, he said.