An eviction notice turned into an hourslong shooting standoff Wednesday in Pittsburgh after a man fired at a sheriff's deputy.
Deputies had gone to serve the notice in the city's Garfield neighborhood when the man "turned violent and began shooting," the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office said.
The man was pronounced dead at 5:08 p.m. — six hours after the standoff began — Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Officials did not identify the suspect to reporters.
Authorities believe the suspect was killed in a gunfight with law enforcement, Police Chief Larry Scirotto said.
"The timeline was because we don't rush to judgment," Scirotto said. "We want a peaceful conclusion, a surrender in this instance. We use various methods to accomplish that surrender. ... With every opportunity to surrender, were met with gunfire."
Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said the suspect "immediately opened fire" on deputies when they made contact with him Wednesday morning. Deputies got backup from other agencies, including a SWAT team.
Kraus said he could not count the number of gunfire "volleys" between the suspect and officers.
"I mean, he had a lot of ammunition in that house, and certainly ... all of us were strapped, you know, with ammunition, and we were calling for additional ammunition," Kraus said. "Like I said, we we tried to give him every opportunity to come out. But it elevated to the SWAT team's response."
A heavy police presence took over the area, and shots were heard intermittently for hours. Officers evacuated people from homes in the area, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.
A sergeant sustained a minor, "non-gunfire" injury avoiding the incoming gunfire, the sheriff's office said. No other injuries were reported.
The man barricaded inside shot down two law enforcement drones during the standoff, NBC affiliate WPXI reported.
Witness Leslie Thompson told WPXI she hid in her basement for about an hour while the shooting occurred across the street. She was reunited with her husband after she called 911 and police evacuated her to safety.
"They just knocked on the door. The police came in and told me they were taking me out," Thompson said, crying as her husband held her.
Pennsylvania State Police said they are taking over the investigation from local authorities.