Colorado standoff: 3 hostages and gunman dead

GlobalPost

Four people are dead Saturday after a gunman had a standoff with police when he took several hostages inside a Colorado home.

According to Fox News, the gunman, who has yet to be identified, reportedly took four people hostage inside a home in Aurora, Colo. The gunman and three hostages were killed, while one of the hostages was able to get out alive.

More from GlobalPost: Brazil: Thieves take 9 hostages after attempting jewelry robbery

Officers were called to the home around 3 a.m. after reports of shots fired, reported the New York Daily News. Sgt. Cassidee Carlson said an "armed and dangerous" man was inside and refused to surrender to police. After six hours, officers shot and killed the suspect and discovered three bodies inside the home.

Roads leading to the home were closed off and police sealed off the scene. Neighbors said they smelled tear gas later Saturday morning. The standoff involved as man as 40 officers, including a SWAT team and hostage negotiators.

The identity of the victims and what prompted the incident is still unclear.

GlobalPost previously reported on a shooting that occurred at a theater in the same Colorado town during a premier of the newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, where 12 were killed and 40 were wounded.

Will you support The World today?

The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!