Buford Standoff: Timeline of a Tragedy (UPDATE)

(UPDATE: Timeline of the Buford standoff now updated with additional details and clarifications from Gwinnett County Police.)

BUFORD, GA -- It was a grueling 19-hour stretch during which police had hoped for something different.

But in the end, tragedy won the day.

Authorities say 43-year-old Thy Ho turned a gun on his 2-year-old son, then himself, at about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, ending a tense standoff with officers that had begun with a domestic dispute the night before.

Both died from their wounds.

Here’s a look at the timeline of events as they unfolded:

Tuesday, 9:48 p.m.: Police say that this was when they received a call from the 20-year-old daughter of a woman reporting a domestic dispute between Ho and her mother. Calling from another address, she told authorities the man had pulled a gun on the family and threatened to kill everyone in the home, then himself.

Tuesday, 10:03 p.m.: The first two police officers arrive on the scene.

Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.: It was about this time that police who had responded to the scene requested Gwinnett County Police SWAT teams for what was developing as a hostage situation. Around this time, officers used phone calls to verify Ho’s identity. He told them at various times that he planned to come out.

Tuesday, 10:36 p.m.: SWAT team officers arrive and begin assessing the scene. Officers have lost phone contact with Ho at this point.

Tuesday, 10:47 p.m.: A brother, sister and her friends who had been inside the house were secured at a police check point.

Tuesday, 10:48 p.m.: The mother, whom Ho called his wife, was secured by SWAT officers. Now only Ho and his two-year-old son, Phillip Nguyen, remain inside the home on the 1700 block of Beyers Landing Drive.

Wednesday, 3 a.m.: Ho’s parents arrive at the scene. He is informed they are there, but not allowed to speak directly with them, per hostage-negotiation protocols.

Overnight: Law-enforcement teams continued negotiations with Ho, trying to end the standoff peacefully. The residential neighborhood around the home was blocked to both exit and entry over safety concerns. Residents of the subdivision were encouraged to “shelter in place” and stay away from their doors and windows.

Wednesday, 11 a.m.: Around this time, police secure an arrest warrant for Ho on charges of aggravated assault. Police were texting and calling Ho, even entering the home at times, but he still refused to come out or release the child. Afterward, they would say they could hear and, sometimes, see little Phillip inside the house.

Wednesday, 12:20 p.m.: Police request that news helicopters be kept away from the scene “for safety and tactical reasons.”

Wednesday, 3:15 p.m.: During phone negotiations, police say, Ho begins acting agitated. He begins speaking only in his native language and at various times asks for food and cigarettes. Around this time, Ho is heard moving a dresser in the home’s master bedroom, fortifying his position.

Wednesday, 3:48 p.m. Police lose phone contact with Ho for the final time.

Wednesday, 4:34 p.m.: Police say a single shot is fired from the bedroom toward officers. Seconds later, two more gunshots were heard. Police rushed the home’s master bedroom to discover that Ho had shot Phillip. He then turned the gun on himself. Phillip was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and Ho was transported by ambulance to Gwinnett Medical Center. Both, however, died from their wounds.

“It didn’t turn out the way that we hoped,” Cpl. Deon Washington told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But we don’t get to determine what the ultimate outcome is of any situation.”

(Photo: Channel 2 Action News)