RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is reviewing the death of a man following an armed standoff and fire at a Rapid City house.
Family members called police to the home about 3 p.m. Tuesday. Police Chief Don Hedrick said the man in his 30s had doused himself and the residence with gasoline and began firing a shotgun inside the house and then began shooting towards the outside.
Officers locked down the neighborhood, evacuated some nearby homes and called in a team of tactical officers. Negotiators tried to talk to the man for hours.
At one point officers used a powder pepper spray to get the man to come out, Hedrick said.
Eventually smoke could be seen coming from the house and a fire broke out. Hedrick says the man died in the house.
Firefighters had the fire under control by about 8 p.m., said police spokesman Brendyn Medina. He said the house sustained significant damage.
State agents are investigating because someone died during a police response and a neutral party is needed to review the case, officials said.
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