Vallejo 'Battle Zone' Standoff Ends After Hail Of Gunfire; Gunman Found Dead
VALLEJO (KCBS) - A standoff in a Vallejo neighborhood described by one neighbor as a "battle zone" ended Wednesday afternoon with the death of a gunman following a exchange of gunfire between officers and the barricaded suspect.
The standoff ended after an armored vehicle rammed the front of the home and police entered. Lt. Lee Horton with the Vallejo Police Department said the gunman was found shot dead but it was unclear whether he was shot by police or it was self-inflicted.
Solano County sheriff deputies and Vallejo police officers along with SWAT teams converged on the house at Sutter and lllinois streets after the suspect fired at least once and police returned fire.
Neighbors said an exchange of 50 to 60 rounds was heard shortly after police arrived.
Police were initially called to the scene when a man was said to be spotted outside the house, waving a gun and making threatening statements.
Neighbor Tracie Frost, who lives on Illinois Street near that intersection, said police snipers were on the roof of her house and other homes in the area.
"It's a battle zone right now," Frost said.
Frost said police started firing tear gas into a home in the 1800 block of Sutter Street around 2:45 p.m.
According to Frost, the man had gone into a home for elderly and disabled people that she can see from her house, and that she believes he lives there.
Police have not yet confirmed reports that the suspect fired at least one shot at police.
Just after 3 p.m. a black-armored vehicle drove onto the front lawn and used a prod to break down fences, outer walls and some other barriers to the home.
There were several street closures in the area. Witnesses said police were using an armored vehicle and a PA system, asking the suspect to give up.
The Vallejo Times-Herald said there was an unconfirmed report that the suspect was wounded in the exchange.
Emergency medical responders waited nearby with a gurney. A short time later, they put the empty gurney back into an ambulance, Frost said.
She said she did not see police take anyone out of the house, which had been cordoned off with crime-scene tape.
Police have not yet confirmed reports that the suspect fired at least one shot at police.
Homes in the area were evacuated during the standoff, and Frost and her family took shelter in the back of their home for about two hours, Frost said.
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