Police: 2 People Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide After Hays SWAT Situation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Police say two people are dead in an apparent murder-suicide following a tense overnight SWAT situation in the city's Hays section.
Police were first called to the duplex around 1:40 a.m. along Baldwin Road.
KDKA's Chris Hoffman Reports:
According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, a man saying he had escaped from a hostage situation at the home managed to track down Homestead Police officers, who then alerted Pittsburgh Police.
Police officers surrounded the home and shut down Baldwin Road. They contacted the suspect inside, but he refused to come out of the home. The SWAT team was then called to the scene.
"I woke up. I looked outside and the cops were talking to him," neighbor Tim Graf said. "We saw SWAT Team come out and surround the house."
Police say a man and woman are both dead. The man is the person who was standing off with police. SWAT will be going into the home to see if there are any other victims.
— Chris Hoffman (@NewsmanChris) February 3, 2020
They managed to get into the home, finding a woman dead with a gunshot wound to the head, but retreated from the residence shortly after.
Authorities once again ordered the suspect out, but when he did not surrender, officers fired gas canisters into the home.
Officers went back into the home around 5:40 a.m. and found the suspect dead. He had a gunshot wound to his head as well.
Police say the suspect and victim lived in the house together. They say the suspect is known to police.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Douglas Woods, 41, and the woman as Cindy Woods, 58.
"I think they lived here for a year, but we never really saw them," Graf said.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner was also called to the scene.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner is on scene. pic.twitter.com/Vr5TxC7rtZ
— Chris Hoffman (@NewsmanChris) February 3, 2020
The family of five, including three children, living in the adjoining apartment were not hurt in the incident. Police say they were safely evacuated. The Red Cross is helping them with temporary shelter.
"We have to make sure that the house is secure. The neighborhood, I feel the neighbors are safe, we've done some initial evacuation. It is a duplex. We have five individuals that live in the adjoining duplex and the Red Cross has just arrived to help them," Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said.
Baldwin Road which was expected to remain closed for some time is now back open.
Baldwin Road is back open in the Hays neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/9wKuO1y5vE
— Chris Hoffman (@NewsmanChris) February 3, 2020
"We're going to have to ventilate the structure, once the SWAT operators are inside, they secured it, we'll have to ventilate it and we have a crime scene here," Hissrich said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
