Gunman killed after 4-hour hostage crisis in Georgia

USPA News - A Georgia man who had taken four firefighters hostage, was shot and killed by a SWAT team, ending the ordeal on Wednesday evening, local authorities said. The four-hour hostage crisis ended at around 7:30 p.m. local time at a house on Walnut Grove Way in Suwanee, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, when SWAT personnel killed the gunman, Gwinnet County police spokesperson, Ed Ritter, told local media.

The incident began when the gunman called emergency lines and requested medical help, reportedly faking a heart attack at around 3 p.m. local time. Both firefighters trained as paramedics and an ambulance responded to the call. Upon their arrival, five firefighters were quickly taken hostage. However, one was later let free in order to move the fire truck. SWAT teams decided to move in after determining that the lives of the firefighters were in danger. With the use of a flash grenade, the gunman was distracted and SWAT teams quickly stormed the house. Gunfire was exchanged before it was confirmed that the gunman had been killed. All hostages survived, although they suffered non life-threatening wounds from the explosion caused by the flash grenade, Ritter explained. In addition, one firefighter was wounded from a gunshot, but details were not immediately known. He is expected to survive. The exact reason of the incident is uncertain, but the gunman was reportedly suffering from financial problems, as the house involved in the incident was foreclosed late last year.