Police: Indiana gunman shoots self following hostage situation

A Porter County sheriff's officer runs as Valparaiso police officers take cover behind a squad car during a standoff at a real estate office Friday, May 25, 2012, in Valparaiso, Ind.
A Porter County sheriff's officer runs as Valparaiso police officers take cover behind a squad car during a standoff at a real estate office Friday, May 25, 2012, in Valparaiso, Ind.

— Police say a gunman who held hostages at an Indiana real estate office is being taken to a hospital after shooting himself in the head.

Valparaiso Police Chief Michael Brickner says the gunman who had holed up in the Prudential Executive Group Real Estate office Friday shot himself twice in the head.

Police say the gunman had gone to the office Friday morning looking for someone he thought owed him money. They say he held employees hostage inside the building for several hours before releasing the last two unharmed Friday afternoon.

Valparaiso Police Sgt. Michael Grennes said police received a 911 call about 10 a.m. reporting that a man with a gun had entered the Prudential Executive Group Real Estate office. Grennes said there was a “brief exchange of gunfire” when officers arrived, but there were no reports of anyone being shot.

Grennes said there were fewer than 10 people in the building when the incident began and that a “large percentage” had been able to get out of the building by Friday afternoon. Grennes says one person who was struck in the head during the incident was treated and released at a hospital.

“I do know the vast majority of people are out,” he said. “I know initially when our officers arrived on the scene they were removing people as they were trying to get to the building. And as the scene progressed, more people were able to leave the building.”

Grennes said he did not believe the gunman was an employee of the brokerage.

“I just know the reason for him being there was a dispute over ... somebody in the building, an employee in the building, owed him money. He believed that,” Grennes said.

Mack Elliott, an agent at the brokerage, told The Associated Press he was not in the office when the gunman entered, but had spoken to a couple of agents who were working at the time. He believed the incident stemmed from a dispute over a real estate transaction.

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