Officer wounded in hand during incident involving mental patient

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Police Officer Thomas Dugan was in good condition after he was shot in the hand by a mentally ill man who<br>was about to be committed to a facility, officials said.<br> <br>The

Thursday, November 4th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Police Officer Thomas Dugan was in good condition after he was shot in the hand by a mentally ill man who
was about to be committed to a facility, officials said.

The officer was shot once in the hand Wednesday night. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital with an injury that didn't appear to
be severe, Sgt. Wayne Allen said.

Jerry Hine, 58, was shot with a "less-lethal" weapon that has ammunition similar to a bean bag, when he came out of his house allegedly firing a handgun, Allen said. Hine was also taken to a hospital but was transported as a nonemergency patient.

Hine's family had called Parkside Hospital earlier Wednesday night to have him admitted, officials said. The hospital's Mobile
Outreach Crisis Services Unit then called police for assistance, Sgt. Ed Pierce said.

The crisis unit serves Tulsa County and provides crisis response for the mentally ill but will enlist the help of authorities when
they think a patient might become violent.

Hine's family apparently left the house when he barricaded himself inside about 8 p.m., Pierce said. His wife met authorities at a nearby school and led them to the house.

Allen said officers quietly surrounded the house when Hine went into the back yard and started shooting. After communicating with
him for more than an hour, police asked him to walk out into the driveway, Allen said. But as Hine left his house, he started firing
a handgun.

The officer was hiding behind the porch of a neighboring house when he was hit, Allen said. "Apparently he did see him (hiding) there," he said.

Sgt. Dave Edwards then shot Hine with the weapon. Supervisors are equipped with the specialized guns to use when suspects might
be wielding knives or similar weapons, officials said.