A standoff incident in Manheim Township ended early Wednesday morning with the death of a man who barricaded himself, with a woman, inside an apartment.
The man, who is not being identified at this point, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
A member of Lancaster County SERT also fired a shot at the man inside the home. Preliminary investigation shows that round grazed the man’s rib area.
According to information obtained so far in the investigation:
Manheim Township police were dispatched to the Knollwood Drive apartment about 8 p.m. Tuesday night. A 911 call was made from a relative of the woman inside the home indicating the woman was in danger.
Police later determined the man was abusing the woman and had a knife and a handgun.
Manheim Township police arrived, knocked at the door, and verbally announced their arrival. The front door was locked, and police received no immediate response.
Minutes later, the female yelled out a second-floor window, asking for help. Soon after, a shot was fired from that second-floor bedroom. It was later determined that the shot was fired from the man’s 9mm handgun.
No one was wounded by that shot.
Lancaster County SERT was then called and deployed to the scene. SERT set up a perimeter and took action to communicate with the man.
Occupants in adjoining and adjacent apartment units were evacuated.
The initial investigation shows the man and woman were in the bedroom for the duration of the standoff.
About 1 a.m., SERT deployed a flash bang device inside the apartment and made entry.
As SERT officers kicked open the bedroom door (where the man and woman were located), two shots were fired: one being the self-inflicted gunshot fired by the man, the other fired by a SERT officer.
The man was found deceased inside the bedroom. The woman, found in a closet, was not struck by gunfire. Police were not struck by gunfire.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office was on scene and has custody of the deceased male’s body.
Pennsylvania State Police is handling the investigation. Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams will review all investigative materials and make a determination on use of force.
The investigation is ongoing and a determination on the police use of force (the single shot fired in the bedroom) will be publicly announced at a later date.
“The decisive actions of the multiple responding agencies assured safety to the public and resulted in the safe recovery of the woman,” District Attorney Adams said Wednesday. “The investigation remains active and we will keep the public informed of developments.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright