SEATTLE (AP) – Police say they used tear gas to flush a suicidal man who had killed several family members from his house – and that’s when he stepped outside and killed himself.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday released a timeline of the standoff, which began after David Wayne Campbell, 51, called a sheriff’s office supervisor Friday morning to say he had done something bad and was suicidal.
A small number of deputies initially responded, speaking with Campbell by phone and setting up a perimeter to keep him on the property until a SWAT team could arrive.
Over 3½ hours, trained negotiators tried to persuade Campbell to surrender, but “it became evident that the suspect was not going to leave the residence voluntarily,” the sheriff’s office said. Deputies could see him pacing inside, often holding a handgun to his head.
When they deployed tear gas in the house, Campbell came outside with a gun in his hand and yelled at police. He then returned indoors before coming out once more, putting the gun to his temple and firing as the police watched.