OWEN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The Owen County Sheriff's Office has released more information about a standoff situation that ended Saturday morning.
The Office says it all started around 11:20 p.m. on Thursday. Officials say that’s when county dispatch received a 911 call about a domestic situation where a male was threatening others with a gun on Kinnickinick Ridge in Owen County. The Sheriff’s Office says Deputies responded to the scene and found a male suspect had forced his way into a home and taken 2 children and 2 adult females hostage and was armed.
Officials say one adult female was able to escape the house. Deputies say after they got to the scene, shots were fired from inside the home through a window, toward deputies and their vehicles. No one was hurt, but officials say the area was secured and the Morgan County SWAT team was contacted.
The Office says around 7:45 a.m. on Friday, the suspect released one of the children, and by 12:10 p.m., the other child was released. After that, officials say negotiations continued for another 19 hours, trying to convince the male suspect to surrender and release the last hostage unharmed.
The Owen County Sheriff’s Office adds that throughout the more than 31 hour standoff, the suspect made multiple threats on the hostage’s life as well as threats to kill officers on scene. Officials say he also fired multiple shots from inside the house during the standoff.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m. Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office says the suspect made himself visible through a doorway while physically restraining the hostage at gun point. Officials say to save the life of the hostage, one shot was fired by a tactical team member that incapacitated the suspect.
The Owen County Sheriff’s Office says the hostage was rescued by officers before being taken to a hospital for evaluation. However, officials say the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials add that the investigation is on-going, and at this time, it’s a multi-agency investigation. They say names of those involved aren’t being released until family has been notified and the investigation is complete.
