LAKEWOOD — Police and a SWAT team spent more than 12 hours at a Lakewood apartment complex trying to make contact with a possibly armed suspect believed to be involved in a domestic violence incident, according to Lakewood Police.
It all started at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, when police were called to the Ashford Belmar Apartments on reports of a domestic violence incident involving a gun, Ty Countryman with Lakewood Police said.
A woman was able to leave the apartment and call police, while the suspect – a 48-year-old man – barricaded himself inside the apartment.
When officers arrived on scene, they heard a gunshot from inside the apartment in question, police said.
This prompted officers to evacuate some immediate surrounding apartments as a precaution. Other residents were told to shelter in place as law enforcement worked to contact the suspect.
A SWAT team took over and was able to contact the suspect for several hours during the night before he stopped responding, police said.
That's when a Jefferson County Sheriff's bomb squad robot entered the apartment and found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted injury, according to Lakewood Police.
By 10:30 a.m. Sunday, police were allowing residents in the area to return home.
The investigation is ongoing.
The Ashford Belmar Apartments are located at 7301 W. Ohio Avenue.
