Police Standoff With Barricaded Man on Peabody Line Ends With Suspect's Death

Police have released a detailed account of Sunday night's incident on the Lynnfield line in which a man shot at a woman fleeing in a car and may have shot at a police dog before killing himself.

Peabody police say they received an initial call at 7:14 p.m. on Sunday of an armed and unwanted person at 10 Monson Dr.

Department spokesperson Capt. Dennis Bonaiuto explained how the next three hours unfolded in a press release issued early Monday morning.

Before officers arrived at the home in West Peabody, the female caller had informed police she was leaving the area in her car when the suspect shot at her vehicle several times. She said some of the rounds actually struck the car.

The woman said neither she nor her two daughters (ages 18 and 12), who were in the car as passengers, were hit by the bullets.

Officers arriving at the scene evacuated several neighboring homes and set up a perimeter, as they believed the suspect was still inside the woman's home, Bonaiuto said. Police then called for the NEMLEC (North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council) SWAT Team as well as a NEMLEC Crisis Negotiator.

Peabody Officer Mark Saia is a member of that regional SWAT Team while Detective Eric Ricci is a hostage and crisis negotiator for NEMLEC. Several other officers are members of a Rapid Response Team. All of them were deployed just last month in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.

"Attempts to establish contact with anyone inside the home met with negative results. A short time later the NEMLEC team utilized a robotic instrument with a camera attachment and was able to view a subject inside the home who appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Bonaiuto said.

He did not offer a specific timeline on that point, but according to reports from the scene, the situation was secure and EMTs were able to enter the home around 10:15 p.m. Neighbors who were still inside their homes were told they could come outside again around 11:30 p.m.

There were also reports of more shots fired from the home shortly after 9 p.m., apparently at a dog outside, who may have been assigned to a K-9 unit at the scene.

Bonaiuto said the investigation is still being wrapped up and further details on the exact cause and manner of death of the suspect will not be known until then. State police detectives assigned to the District Attorney's office are assisting Peabody detectives in further investigation.

The man's name has not been released at this time due to pending notification of the next of kin, Bonaiuto said.

"This incident has ended, the threat is over and there is no danger to the public," he said.