Security Guard Shares View Of How School Board Shooting Happened

Humble hero Mike Jones speaks out for the first time after the terrifying school board shooting on Tuesday.  He is retired from the Panama City Police Department, served on the Bay County School Board for 8 years, and touches lives at Christmas through Salvage Santa. But Tuesday, he went beyond changing lives to saving them.

“I’m not a hero folks, I just done my job,” Jones said.

Jones says he was in the Nelson Building by chance.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be at work, they asked me to stay and work Monday and Tuesday on my vacation. I wasn’t supposed to be in the building, something told me to come here, I wasn’t here 5 minutes and I was involved in a shooting,” Jones said.

Jones confronted the gunman, 56-year old Clay Duke, who police say walked into the school board meeting with full intent to kill.  The only memory replaying in Jones’ head is the thought Superintendent Bill Husfelt was shot and killed.

“I just stood there because I didn’t want to look over the counter because I knew Mr. Husfelt was dead and my God when he popped over the counter I started crying and I knew he was okay and I felt a lot better. But I will never forget that picture of him and Franklin Harrison popping up behind this counter,” an emotional Jones added.

New carpet replaces where a pool of duke’s blood would’ve stained, the smell of fresh paint is in the air and the bullet holes are all patched up, but the memories remain for Jones, as he walks through the board room and remembers that terrifying Tuesday.

Jones credits his law enforcement history and extensive training for his sharp shooting. In the end, the only person injured was Duke, taking his own life.

“If you see that footage and if you don’t believe in God, you need to go to church this Sunday and you need to get right with Him because He had his arms wrapped around that room,” said Jones.

Jones says his heart goes out to the Duke family in their time of loss.