07-08-2011, 12:40 AM
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/i...spe_1.html
GRAND RAPIDS -- Mass murder suspect Rodrick Dantzler shot himself in the head and died at the scene of the hours-long standoff around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, said Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk.
Two remaining hostages escaped the home where they were being held in Northeast Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk said Dantzler had been making threats and acting agitated throughout the night. He briefly calmed down and suggested he might give himself up. But as negotiators were telling him how to surrender from outside, a gunshot was heard.
Authorities and an ambulance rushed in, but Dantzler was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"This is obviously a very, very difficult day for a lot of people," Belk said.
Tactical officers were inside the house when Dantzler indicated he wanted to surrender. The hostages, Steve Helderman, 70, and a visiting woman were being held in the rear of the house when officers slipped inside.
The woman hid in a bedroom early in the ordeal, but the suspect eventually realized she was there.
Police did have contact the hostages during the standoff and knew they were OK, Belk said. After they escaped, they were checked over and it was recommended they go to the hospital, but they suffered no apparent injuries other than traumatization.
An autopsy will occur tomorrow and police will continue their investigation. Belk expects to offer a late-morning update Friday.
Police investigation so far indicates Dantzler acted alone in Thursday's mass murder. One of the victims was his daughter, another was an ex-girlfriend. Other victims' relationships were not immediately confirmed.
Dantzler was accompanied by a person during a road rage incident on Grandville Avenue during which shots were fired, but police remain confident he acted alone in today's slayings.
"We are very confident he is the suspect," Belk said.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Mass murder suspect Rodrick Dantzler shot himself in the head and died at the scene of the hours-long standoff around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, said Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk.
Two remaining hostages escaped the home where they were being held in Northeast Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk said Dantzler had been making threats and acting agitated throughout the night. He briefly calmed down and suggested he might give himself up. But as negotiators were telling him how to surrender from outside, a gunshot was heard.
Authorities and an ambulance rushed in, but Dantzler was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"This is obviously a very, very difficult day for a lot of people," Belk said.
Tactical officers were inside the house when Dantzler indicated he wanted to surrender. The hostages, Steve Helderman, 70, and a visiting woman were being held in the rear of the house when officers slipped inside.
The woman hid in a bedroom early in the ordeal, but the suspect eventually realized she was there.
Police did have contact the hostages during the standoff and knew they were OK, Belk said. After they escaped, they were checked over and it was recommended they go to the hospital, but they suffered no apparent injuries other than traumatization.
An autopsy will occur tomorrow and police will continue their investigation. Belk expects to offer a late-morning update Friday.
Police investigation so far indicates Dantzler acted alone in Thursday's mass murder. One of the victims was his daughter, another was an ex-girlfriend. Other victims' relationships were not immediately confirmed.
Dantzler was accompanied by a person during a road rage incident on Grandville Avenue during which shots were fired, but police remain confident he acted alone in today's slayings.
"We are very confident he is the suspect," Belk said.