One Herald
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, December 23, 2015, 7:13 AM
Courtesy of KPRC 2 News
George Pickering II stormed the hospital when they tried to take his son George III off life support.
A Texas father has been released from jail after staging a siege to spend time with his son who was about to be taken off life support.
In January, George Pickering II stormed the Tomball Regional Medical Center in Houston with a gun and demanded access to his son, George III.
George III was on life support after suffering a stroke, and doctors had declared him “brain dead,” Pickering told Click 2 Houston.
Hospital staff appointed Pickering’s ex-wife and his other son to make decisions for George III, and had alerted an organ donor organization as to his imminent death.
And after the hospital approved a ‘terminal wean’ – which slowly removes life support – George III decided it was time to act.
“I felt hopeless. They were moving too fast. The hospital, the nurses, the doctors,” said Pickering.
To halt the process, Pickering grabbed a gun and threatened staff, demanding access to see his son.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office
Pickering was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Desperate Pickering admitted he was being drunk and aggressive, but said he was certain there was still life left in his son and needed the time alone with him.
Although he was soon disarmed by his other son, he told cops he had a second weapon and closed himself in with George III as SWAT teams negotiated with him.
And he soon got the sign of life from his son that he had hoped for, reported CBS 4 News.
“During that three hours, George squeezed my hand three or four times on command,” said Pickering.
Eventually, following hours of negotiations, a police robot uncovered the curtain Pickering was hiding behind, and he then surrendered peacefully.
George III survived and said he fully supported his father’s actions.
KPRC 2/CNN News via YouTube
“The important thing is I’m alive and well, my father is home and we’re together again,” said George III.
“There was a law broken, but it was broken for all the right reasons. I’m here now because of it,” George III.
“It’s the duty of a parent to protect your children and that’s all he did. It was love, it was love.”
Pickering was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but one was later dismissed and the other lessened to a state jail felony.
Pickering was given credit for the time served in jail, and released earlier this month to be reunited with his son.
“The important thing is I’m alive and well, my father is home and we’re together again,” added George III.
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