Hostage wife escapes, man kills 3, then self after standoff: Police
BROOKEVILLE, Md. -- The suspect in the fatal shooting of three people whose bodies were found in a Montgomery County, Maryland home shot himself to death in his own home across the street Monday night as police closed in, authorities said.
CBS Washington, D.C. affiliate WUSA-TV and CBS Baltimore report that officers were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance earlier in the day.
"First responders came to the scene, they located multiple fatalities and backed out of the house, believing it was not safe," said Capt. Paul Starks of Montgomery County Police Department.
The suspect, Christopher Wilson Snyder, 41, allegedly fled to his home across the street after shooting the three victims.
Three other adults in the home where the three people were killed were able to escape unharmed. One was Snyder's wife, police say.
Police say Snyder was holding her hostage over the weekend. She escaped and fled to the neighbor's house. Snyder went to the home and shot and killed the three others, authorities say.
Snyder allegedly barricaded himself in his home and a standoff ensued. Negotiators called him to try to get him to surrender.
Police say negotiators spoke with him via phone for a "couple of hours."
Officers breached the front door at 11 p.m., with Snyder still on the phone with negotiators, prompting Snyder to hang up.
Detectives said they heard a single shot and found Snyder dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Brookeville is about 15 miles north of Washington, D.C.
