Sheriff: Man Kills Two, Arrested After Standoff

ORANGE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A man fatally shot two family members at different homes in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula and held a hostage for several hours at another home before surrendering to sheriff's deputies early Wednesday, authorities said.

The man was arrested after releasing the hostage and leaving the Orange Township home where he had barricaded himself inside for five or six hours starting late Tuesday, Kalkaska County Sheriff David Israel told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. No one was injured at the home.

The man's wife, Tiffany Ferguson, and father-in-law, James Webber, were killed at homes in the Coldsprings Township area, Israel said. The couple's divorce was pending and the shootings followed a "domestic situation," he said. Court records show she filed for divorce in September and a hearing was scheduled for Friday.

Children from the home where the woman was shot reported the shooting to a neighbor, a Kalkaska County sheriff's deputy, who called 911, MLive.com reported. The suspect later called dispatchers to say he was holding a hostage in Orange Township.

A court hearing for the man could come as early as Wednesday. The Associated Press left messages seeking updated information from the sheriff.

The hostage wasn't a relative of the suspect and appears to have been taken at random, Israel said. The circumstances are under investigation.

Orange Township is roughly 20 miles southeast of Traverse City and about 190 miles northwest of Detroit.

The Traverse City newspaper reported Ferguson was an involved mother who helped create a youth hockey association.

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