More Details Released On Vermillion Standoff

by KDLT News
December 26, 2012 1:14 PM


Vermillion police say the wife of a man who instigated a standoff with officers early Christmas morning managed to flee the house after being held for several hours and assaulted.

Officials say the woman woke up an off-duty police officer who lived nearby around 1 a.m. Tuesday. She told the officer her husband had kept her from calling for help earlier by destroying her cell phone. They say she said he threatened to kill her.

Authorities say another witness watched the man make two trips from the house to the garage, where the husband was known to keep several firearms, while the officer was calling on-duty officers to respond.

The standoff began after the 42-year-old man told officers he was armed and intended to kill himself. Officials say the man released the couple's two children around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Officers entered the building around 1:30 p.m. after losing contact with the man. They found him dead from  what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot would.

Officials have not released the name of the man involved in the standoff. The Vermillion Police Department, Clay County Sheriff's office, and the Division of Criminal Investigation are continuing to investigate the incident.