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Standoff at Westside GR home ends, police find body of suspect who 'pistol-whipped' someone

There is a heavy police presence in a neighborhood on the West Side after reports of a critical incident.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The police standoff ended just before 8 p.m. after police found the body of the suspect in the attic of the house that officers were surrounding.

Witnesses say he pistol-whipped someone.

The standoff started just after 2 p.m. when police responded to a 911 call of a person with a gun at a home with multiple people inside and one person who was pistol-whipped. Police surrounded the home on Third Street near Lane Avenue NW while the suspect—a white man who is 36—remained in the attic of the house.

Grand Rapids Police blocked off portions of a neighborhood on the Westside of the city while they searched for the armed suspect. When officers arrived on scene, everyone was called out of the home and the area was cleared for additional victims.

"We went into the residence, cleared that residence up to the attic and then were able to open up a portion of the ceiling enough to get a better view of the attic and that is how we located the subject," says Capt. Geoff Collard with GRPD.

Witnesses to the assault said they didn't know the suspect was in the house until he emerged from a back bedroom. Police still do not know the motive behind the assault.

The victim is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his face.

The Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiators were called in to assist.

Just before 6:30 p.m. Police said that they put a chemical agent inside the house to prompt the man to leave. They warned neighbors to close doors and windows.

Two houses in the surrounding area were also evacuated and there was a shelter in place.

The Grand Rapids Police Department tweeted their final update about the standoff just before 10 p.m. In the tweet, they say that they "cannot definitively say the cause and manner," and a medical exam will be performed.

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