Gunman, young mother die in Calif. barricade

HIGHLAND, Calif. - A SWAT team fatally shot an armed man who barricaded himself in a Highland, Calif., home with a female relative and her two young children, reports CBS Los Angeles.

Officials later revealed the gunman fatally shot the woman, 27-year-old Rosy Mejia, a mother of three.

At about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday Mejia's husband called police to say a relative was holding his wife and his two children, one of whom is a newborn, hostage inside a residence, Jodi Miller of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Police arrived and called a SWAT team to the scene. Authorities said their attempts to negotiate with the suspect - Raphael Mejia - proved unsuccessful.

"The suspect continued to display the fact that he was armed with a shotgun. As SWAT personnel continued to talk to the suspect, he continued to threaten that he would shoot the victims inside the home," Miller told the station. "A deputy-involved shooting occurred. The suspect was struck and pronounced deceased at the scene."

Officials said deputies opened fire after the suspect pulled his gun and tried to shoot them.

The woman being held hostage had been shot by the suspect. She was airlifted to a hospital where she later died. Her two children were not injured.

Deputies are investigating the shooting and haven't yet released a motive.