AUTHORITIES IN MISSOURI have found a man and his two young children dead in an apartment, ending a stand-off that had lasted nearly 24 hours.
The Springfield Police Department said in a statement late last night that a man inside the home appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His son and daughter, aged 4 and 2, were also found dead inside.
Springfield Police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said she could not provide additional information about how the children died. No one else was inside the home.
The stand-off began when police responded at around 9.30pm local time on Sunday to a “check person” call at the apartment on the southwest side of town, according to the statement. Officers encountered an armed man and set up a perimeter.
Negotiations with the man continued throughout the day.
Bomb squad
Bomb squad robots were deployed on Monday evening and explosions could be heard, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
“Some of the noises and bangs you heard was us entering the apartment,” police lieutenant Eric Reece said at a press conference. “We sent in robots, which helped clear for our safety.”
When officers entered the apartment, all three were found dead,.
The three were identified as William R. Williams (51); Brodie Williams (4); and Marley Williams (2).
Reece said officials would be processing evidence from the scene overnight. The investigation is ongoing.
Sam Coryell, executive director of TLC Properties, told the News-Leader that the standoff prompted the evacuation of the other residents of Williams’ building. Some tenants were sleeping in the building’s clubhouse and others were in vacant units, Coryell said.
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