Nine officers were injured after an explosion rocked a house in Connecticut, where police and SWAT officers were negotiating with a man who had taken his wife and family hostage. Police also discovered human remains at the site.
The explosion occurred in North Haven, Connecticut, where a man took his family hostage after police responded to a domestic-dispute call on Wednesday. The officers were rushed to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries at around 8:30pm.
According to police, remains have been discovered at the scene. However, it's not clear in which building the remains were found. Local authorities said the chief medical examiner will determine the identity of the deceased, and how he or she died.
“This started late this afternoon with what was apparently a very violent domestic call,” North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda told Fox 61. The officers “were trying to coax him...out of the house and really try to calm the situation down. Then things took a turn for the worse with an explosion.”
“It sounds almost like it was a booby trap type of explosion,” Freda said. “Based on the way the explosions took place, from what police told me, there was a series of explosions, which may indicate some sort of rigged booby traps.”
The suspect's wife apparently managed to escape the house during the explosions, but it remains unclear whether other family members remain inside. The suspect, however, is still inside the house, while a fire is still burning in the barn, sources told WFSB Channel 3 news.
The roads surrounding the residence remain closed off. Meanwhile, firefighters rushed to the scene to battle the blaze as plumes of thick black smoke covered the neighborhood after the blast.
The hostage situation erupted after a domestic violence incident on Wednesday afternoon that was reported to North Haven police, state police Master Sgt. Marc Gelven, confirmed to the Hartford Courant. According to reports, it was the woman herself who called the police after her husband arrived home and began an argument over a divorce that she filed for last month.
The man then barricaded himself inside the house, triggering a massive police and SWAT team response. Authorities were trying to negotiate with the hostage taker for hours before the blast went off. FBI and AFT agents were also called to the scene, according to reports.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!