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Man holds hostage for hours, shoots himself as police move in

The hostage was found uninjured, officials said

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By Jenna Wise
pennlive.com

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A man shot himself to death overnight Tuesday after barricading himself and a woman in a Lancaster County apartment building for hours, authorities said.

Lancaster County prosecutors said the man — armed with a knife and handgun — was abusing a woman in a Knollwood Drive apartment when Manheim Township police arrived around 8 p.m.

Police said they were responding to a call from the woman’s relative, who said she was in danger.

Soon after police arrived, the woman yelled for help and the man fired a shot from a second-floor bedroom, according to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. The man’s identity has not been released.

Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene, as well as members of the Lancaster County Special Emergency Response Team (SERT).

Using a “flash bang device,” authorities got inside the apartment around 1 a.m. and found the man and woman in a bedroom. The man shot himself in the head and died at the scene, prosecutors said. A single bullet fired by a SERT member grazed the man’s rib cage.

The woman was found uninjured in a bedroom closet, prosecutors said.

Residents of nearby apartments were evacuated and were not hurt in the incident.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident. District Attorney Heather Adams is reviewing the police’s use of force. Her determination will be announced at a later time.

“The decisive actions of the multiple responding agencies assured safety to the public and resulted in the safe recovery of the woman,” Adams said in a Wednesday afternoon news release. “The investigation remains active and we will keep the public informed of developments.”

(c)2020 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)

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