Hail of bullets ends Lynn standoff

LYNN – An armed man was brought down by police in a hail of gunfire shortly before 11:30 Thurday night, after a nearly five-hour standoff.According to police, the incident began shortly after 6:30 p.m, as a report of a breaking and entering at a home at 12 Wayne Ave. A cookout was allegedly being held at the home earlier in the evening, when suspects barged in. Lynn police quickly surrounded the home, followed soon after by state police and canine units. Details remained unclear as of press time.Despite a thunderstorm, a crowd of people huddled together outside in a neighborhood that stood captive, eagerly watching the scene unfold.Essex Street resident Heather Duncan said she rushed over to the scene with a group of her friends after she overheard the commotion on her portable police scanner.?I had to come, I ran right over,” she said. “One guy walked out of the house wounded, and police were talking to the other guy inside, saying to flick the light outside to let them know when he was ready to come out.”That suspect went on to turn the porch light on and off several times as he stood in the doorway, wearing a white T-shirt underneath an unbuttoned black shirt. Nearly an hour went by before he came outside, holding a gun to his head. After nearly 45 minutes, the suspect lowered the gun and held his head in his hands.A crowd of more than 50 people had gathered by 9 p.m., nervously watching to see what happened next. Parents with young children milled about, neighbors sat on their stoops gossiping, while others served refreshments to those standing around.With a look of concern on his face, Salem resident Michael Morton crouched down in the middle of the street in order to get a better view of the standoff. He had been on his way home from work when he saw a flurry of police cars speeding toward the area of his brothers home and followed suit.?My brother said he didn?t know what was going on, but also said it?s just an everyday part of living in this area,” he said. “You know, you walk out your front door and don?t know what?s going to happen. With the robberies and drug deals going on everyday, I would never want to live in this section of town.”Lynn police spoke to the suspect numerous times through a megaphone, urging him to put down his gun and surrender peacefully. But by 11 p.m., he remained on the stoop, refusing to budge.In the middle of the commotion, an unidentified man ran through an area of the street roped off by the police and was quickly tackled to the ground when he allegedly refused to stop while shouting obscenities. His identity was not released.