AURORA — Four people, including an armed suspect, died during an hours-long police standoff Saturday at a Colorado townhome, authorities said.
An Aurora police department SWAT team responded after shots were heard at the townhome at 3 a.m., said Aurora police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson. Investigators said three people, all adults, appeared to have been killed before officers arrived.
The suspect shot at police at 8:15 a.m. and was killed during a shootout when officers stormed the home about 45 minutes later, Carlson said. It wasn’t known if officers shot the suspect or if he shot himself.
A fifth person escaped unharmed before officers arrived and reported that she saw three people inside the home who “appeared lifeless,” Carlson said.
The sergeant declined to elaborate about the woman’s escape.
A motive for the killings was unknown. Police wearing gloves and carrying evidence bags were going over the crime scene.
“We’re just getting in there with our crime scene detectives, so obviously we’ll have to determine if it was our rounds or his rounds,” Carlson said.
Police declined to release the name of the suspect or victims.