Standoff suspect released from hospital, booked into detention center

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - After an attack turned hostage situation turned shoot-out in Burke County, the suspect was released from the hospital on Thursday.

Deputies say Kevin McCardell used his 2-year-old and 1-year-old as a shield as he fired at deputies, not intending to be taken alive.

Officials says he was booked into the Burke County Detention Center Thursday afternoon.

According to inmate bookings, he is charged with three counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer, two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of cruelty to children-1st degree-deprivation of sustenance, possession of firearm or knife during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies and possession of firearm by convicted felon or first offender.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Training was crucial in saving kids, Burke County sheriff says
• ‘I’m going to laugh while I kill you’: A look at standoff suspect’s past
• Fugitive dad used kids as shields, choked-up Burke County sheriff says
• How standoff unfolded in Burke County

This wasn’t his first run-in with the police. Not even his first in 2022. He was wanted out of Baltimore County in Maryland for multiple felony warrants, including attempted murder in June of 2022.

McCardell, his wife, and two young children then moved or maybe fled the state to Burke County, where deputies got a call from the woman hiding in the woods around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

After an intense, nearly five-hour standoff, deputies shot the suspect in the leg and took him into custody. We’ve uncovered details out of Baltimore that give context to why the sheriff is calling this man an animal, “a very sick man” and “a very mean-spirited person.”

Burke County Sheriff’s Office confirms on Nov. 21, that McCardell had his left leg amputated.

In addition to being wanted for attempted murder, we found a lengthy rap sheet, including prison time in Maryland, convictions for assault, and felony weapons charges.

After 15 years in law enforcement...

“There are a number of cases that stick with you. But there are some cases that truly stick with you,” said Burke County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Randall Norman.

SEE UPDATE FROM BURKE COUNTY:

And it happened just 500 feet from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office headquarters. Norman acted as the lead negotiator, trying to bring the standoff to a peaceful end.

“The conversation was up and down. One minute he may talk to me; the next minute he may be upset with me. He may be yelling, using profane language towards me, but I had to take a step back and understand that he’s also in crisis,” he said.

That crisis being he was a wanted man, staring down prison time for serious charges, including attempted murder and assault.

A police report shows that when they were living in Maryland this past summer, an argument started after his wife asked him to get baby formula. He allegedly threw a drink at her and pushed her out of bed, according to the report.

The report says he eventually pushed her down the steps, choked her, and pushed her head against the door until she lost consciousness.

The report says during the strangulation, the suspect was shouting: “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to laugh while I kill you. I’m going to kill you this time.”

The victim went on record to say he had strangled her and struck her in the past, but none of the incidents were documented. A neighbor interviewed in the report stated he heard the fight through the walls, a thud, and someone gurgling and gasping for air. He heard a man yelling, “I’m going to kill you.”

In a police report out of Baltimore County, the victim tells authorities he’s had a black powder handgun in the past, but didn’t know where it was. Police noted that a “firearms check revealed negative results.”

We asked Norman what kind of gun he was using during the standoff: a black powder handgun.

On Thursday, law enforcement officers in Burke County quickly realized who they were dealing with when they say he opened the door and fired a pistol at officers while holding his children.

SUSPECT’S RAP SHEET FROM MARYLAND:

“I was standing out on the property and could see just one of the little girls that were there, and it’s that much more gut-wrenching to see that, and you realize like we’ve got to do something,” said Norman.

He says aside from de-escalating the situation, returning the children safely to their mother was the first priority.

“Being able to bring that peaceful resolution, and I think after everything occurred, the first thing everybody you could hear everybody yelling out, ‘kids, kids, kids, kids, kids.’ And, you know, everybody’s trying to get their hands on the children to get them out of there,” he said.

He was grateful not only the kids were unharmed but that all of the men and women he works with got to go home to their children, too.

“Without hesitation, you had deputies that were providing certain things, whether it’s diapers, money to purchase clothing, food,” he said. “You didn’t have to ask them; it was second nature.”

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