Connecticut police said Wednesday that they found a decomposed body and numerous explosives inside a home in the aftermath of an hours-long standoff with a man who had barricaded himself and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officers.
Stamford police responded to the house Tuesday morning after a state marshal called 911 while trying to evict the man under a court order, authorities said. The man opened fire at officers several times during the day, damaging police vehicles. No officers were hurt. Authorities fired back multiple times.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. Helplines outside the U.S. can be found at www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts.
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The 63-year-old man was found dead later in the day of what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officers who were clearing the home afterward found a decomposed body on the second floor, as well as numerous explosives including pipe bombs, grenades and Molotov cocktails, Police Chief Timothy Shaw said in a statement.
“This was an extremely dangerous incident that tragically resulted in the loss of two lives,” said Shaw, who praised the efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement officers and firefighters, including hostage negotiators who tried to communicate with the man for hours.
The Stamford police bomb squad was called in to safely remove the explosives before detectives began investigating the crime scene. Authorities said they had identified the man and were investigating the identity and cause of death of the second person. The state inspector general’s office will investigate the officers’ use of deadly force.
Court records show a bank had foreclosed on the home and demanded the residents vacate the property in April because the mortgage wasn’t being paid. Last month, a judge ordered the eviction after offering the tenants a chance to make payments on the mortgage.
An email message was left Wednesday night with an attorney who represented the man who shot at police in the foreclosure court case.
