A former state corrections officer shot and killed a police officer and then turned the gun on himself Friday, ending a 14-hour standoff.
The officer, Peter Lavery, had been shot Thursday night while responding to a domestic violence call. State and area police rushed to the Hartford suburb after the officer failed to respond to their calls.
For much of the afternoon, a state police tactical team was on the first floor of the home where the siege took place; the gunman and his hostage were holed up in the basement. Police used various methods to force the gunman out, including tear gas and water from a hose.
Some neighbors were evacuated overnight on school buses. The gunman’s wife escaped.
Sue Erwin, who lives nearby but was not among those evacuated, said she heard shots and booms throughout the night. She also saw other neighbors coughing as they left their homes late Thursday.
A spokesman for the Department of Correction said the suspect had been fired in 1999.