Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — A gunman killed a man, opened fire on police and holed himself up in a Watts home with three children inside before shooting himself, police said Friday.
A woman believed to be his wife was wounded and taken to a hospital in grave condition, Deputy Chief Robert Green told KABC-TV.
The standoff began at about 3 a.m. Friday as a domestic dispute.
The gunman fatally wounded a man in a truck outside the house who later died and also shot at arriving police but didn’t hit them, Green said. He retreated to a home and continued firing at officers, Green said.
After about a two-hour standoff, two children, believed to be 8 and 3 years old, came out of the house.
They told officers that “mom and dad” were dead in the home, Green said.
When SWAT officers entered, they found the man dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. A woman believed to be his wife was thought at first to have died but Green later said she was taken to a hospital in grave condition. A 1-year-old child was also in the home.
Police took away all three children.
“They’ll be in our custody until we identify relatives,” Green said.
No officers were hurt.
The names of the victims were not immediately released.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press