Police: Man shot himself during SWAT standoff

PULLMAN, Wash. (Murrow News 8) – Police confirmed a man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a standoff off of Golden Hills Drive in Pullman.

Pullman Police said at 7:40am they responded to a report of a suicidal person in the area. In a press release early this afternoon, police said the 51-year-old man had made suicidal statements and did not report to work.

During the standoff, police heard a single gunshot, at 9:43am. No other shots were reported.

The property manager at The Residence at Whispering Hills said she was notified just before 8am Wednesday that one of the residents had hidden in an area near a pond just east of several of the apartment buildings. She said the man had only lived there a couple months.

Police closed off the area, including a stretch of Old Wawawai Rd. from Marcia to Golden Hills Dr. They had also closed the pedestrian path that goes along the pond.

At 11:16am, police drove a SWAT vehicle through a fence and began trying to draw the man out of the area. They used multiple drones to attempt to locate the man from above.

At 11:30am, police confirmed the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

For more than an hour, police could be heard trying to negotiate with the man via megaphone.