VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A barricade situation involving a lone suspect has been contained and the suspect is deceased, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department said officers responded to a 911 call on Monday, Jan. 30 around 9:30 p.m. The caller said there was "a barricaded subject inside a residence with guns" threatening to hurt himself and others.
Following the 911 call, there was a heavy police presence on the scene, which was in the 1900 block of Decathlon Drive off Dam Neck and London Bridge.
The department said upon arrival, officers safely evacuated a female from the residence and "established dialogue with the suspect," who they said had a shotgun placed under his chin.
Authorities say he then entered and exited the residence "continually" while pointing the shotgun at himself.
Officers attempted to negotiate with the subject for nearly three hours, according to the department, before the suspect exited the home again around 12:14 a.m. and pointed the handgun at his head. The department says, "over the next hour, he continued to brandish different firearms and point them at himself."
Police say that several hours into the incident, officers fired "less-lethal munitions" at the suspect, which did not have the "desired effect" that the officers had hoped for. The suspect then shot at officers through the windows, who shot back.
VBPD SWAT later arrived at the scene, opened the front door and found the suspect dead.
The suspect has since been confirmed as 48-year-old Craig Byl of Virginia Beach.
The department says at this time, Byl's injuries appear to be "the result of police gunfire," but that won't be officially confirmed until the Norfolk Medical Examiner determines the cause of death.
Neighbors told us that during the incident, police came to their doors to warn them about the situation. One neighbor told us that early this morning, they heard gunfire in the area.
“A few minutes later we heard what sounded like a shootout. Boom, boom, boom. Then another couple rounds," said neighbor Robert Santiago.
“I could hear them arguing, yelling back and forth asking him to not point the gun at himself,” said neighbor Charles James.
A criminal investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the VBPD Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101 or Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
