Police: Standoff over, gunman dead at Ill. store
Jim SuhrPolice say a man who opened fire in a western Illinois farm supply store didn't hold hostages before killing himself, but some employees and customers were afraid to leave the building.
No one else was injured in the standoff at the Farm King store in the western Illinois city of Macomb.
Macomb Police Chief Curt Barker says the man was found dead Wednesday evening in the store's housewares section. Barker identified him as 19-year-old Jonathan Labbe (luh-BAY') from nearby Tennessee, Ill.
Authorities and witnesses say Labbe earlier fired a semiautomatic weapon inside the store, sending some terrified customers bolting for exits. Police later helped four adults and a small child escape from an office where they'd taken cover.
Barker says Labbe isn't associated with the store.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
MACOMB, Ill. (AP) — Police say a man who opened fire in a western Illinois farm supply store and briefly took hostages has shot and killed himself. No one else was injured.
Macomb Police Chief Curt Barker says the man was found dead Wednesday evening in the housewares section of the Farm King store in Macomb.
Authorities and witnesses say the man fired a semiautomatic weapon inside the store earlier in the afternoon, sending terrified customers bolting for exits while others were kept hostage as police surrounded the building.
Barker says police don't know a motive but the gunman is not believed to be associated with the store. He isn't immediately naming the man.
Police had earlier helped two women, two men and a small child escape from an office inside the store.