Standoff In Keenesburg Ends In Father & Son Murder-Suicide
KEENESBURG, Colo. (CBS4) - A standoff in the Weld County town of Keenesburg ended in a murder-suicide.
The standoff started at a home on the 400 block of Kaiser Avenue at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday. Weld County deputies told CBS4 their fugitive unit had been looking for a kidnapping suspect, Shawn Kilker, who may have abducted his estranged wife last month.
Deputies learned Monday that Kilker may have been back home. When officers located the suspect's home, they surrounded it and Kilker and his son refused to leave. Officers coaxed a female and two males, who were inside, away from the scene safely.
Negotiators spoke with the pair for several hours, but at 1:30 a.m., when they stopped responding, deputies discovered two bodies in the home's living room.
"We negotiated for several hours," sheriff's office spokesman Steve Reams said. "His threats were very violent, not only to himself and his family, but towards officers as well."
Authorities said it appears Kilker shot his son and then himself.
The juvenile, who was believed to be 14, reportedly told deputies they were not being held against their will.
"In any community this isn't something you want to deal with," Reams said. "We're trying to get to the bottom of all the twists and turns that took place prior to our knowing about it."
On Sunday, sheriff's deputies entered the home but didn't find Kilker and instead seized some items. They said Kilker's estranged wife called on July 30 to say he had kidnapped her. She escaped unharmed.
Crime tape surrounded the home on Tuesday at daybreak and officials wearing protective gear could be seen entering and leaving the home.
"He should never have had guns in his house," neighbor Don Enroughty said.
Enroughty said that for more than 10 years he knew the family that lives at the home -- in a town where everyone knows everyone.
"Ninety-nine percent of the time it's just a nice place to live," he said.
The town virtually came to a standstill during the ordeal.
"I'm sure that he thought, 'My dad won't hurt me,' "Enroughty said. "The worst thing that he could have done was take his son, and he knew it."
Friends told CBS4 Kilker's wife wanted to leave him because he was abusive. He had a criminal record that included assault, assault with a deadly weapon and menacing.
The investigation is still ongoing.