Gunman Found Dead After 'Hundreds' Of Rounds Fired At Providence Police During Standoff

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CBS) – A heavily armed man was found dead in a home after a long barrage of gunfire erupted during a standoff with police in Providence, Rhode Island early Thursday morning. The commissioner said "hundreds" of rounds were fired at officers.

According to WPRI-TV, it began around 2:30 a.m. when police received a call that 61-year-old Scott McLean was assaulting his son and daughter in a house on Denison Street.

When officers showed up, they surrounded the house and were able to get everyone out safely, but McLean wouldn't come out. Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré told reporters McLean had at least 15 guns in the house.

After hours of communication failed to end the standoff, rapid gunfire started around 6 a.m. Paré said "hundreds" of rounds were fired at police officers and they shot back. The shootout lasted about a half hour. Nearby homes were evacuated.

The commissioner said he has "never seen shots like we've seen at police officers for that period of time."

"Kudos to the law enforcement officers that train just for this, but in my nearly 40 years I've never seen something like this," he told reporters.

WPRI reporter Kait Walsh recorded a segment of the gunfire and posted it on Twitter.

That was followed by a fire in the house, but firefighters were able to put it out.

When police were able to get into the home, McLean was found dead. No one else was hurt.

Paré told reporters police were familiar with McLean and he suffered from mental health issues but he did not have a criminal history.

The Rhode Island Attorney General's office is now investigating the exact cause of McLean's death and the details of what happened.