ISSAQUAH — A body has been found inside a charred Issaquah home where an armed man had held his sister and her family hostage for hours this weekend, according to the Washington State Patrol.
KOMO-TV reported investigators believe the body belongs to the gunman, who had been barricaded inside the home at the time of the fire, Trooper Rick Johnson said. More details were expected to be released during a press conference.
It was around 7:30 p.m. Saturday when Issaquah police were called to the 5200 block of Isola Place NW after a woman who owns the home reported a suspicious person outside, according to Johnson.
Officers arrived and didn’t find anyone. They then knocked on the door to contact the homeowner, only to get no response. A few minutes later, the homeowner called 911 to report she was now being held at gunpoint with her fiancé and her 5- and 8-year-old children by her 28-year-old brother, Johnson said.
A SWAT team broke into the home just before 1 a.m. and rescued the fiancé and children when the gunman and his sister were in another part of the home. Officers were able to get the sister out around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, but the standoff continued.
Just before 11 a.m., the SWAT team deployed tear gas inside the house to create a line of communication but failed to reach him. Then about two hours later, a large fire broke out at the home, Johnson said. It’s unclear what started the fire.
King County Fire & Rescue crews came to the scene to put out the fire, but the burning home eventually suffered a roof collapse.
“There must’ve been 40 police and SWAT cars there, which is not something you see here at all,” said Mike Warner, who lives a few blocks away. “With all these flames I’m watching it might not be a good ending but at least all the hostages got out.”
The large police and fire scene kept neighbors away from their homes for much of the weekend.
The suspect’s name has not yet been released, and the motive for the attack remains unclear. Investigators said the gunman was wanted on a felony warrant.
No other injuries were reported.
