Washington Co. SWAT Team Evacuates Children from Home After Man Fires Gun

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called in to evacuate children from a home after a man fired his gun during a family dispute Saturday afternoon.

According to a press release, officers were called to a home in the Town of Wayne in the northwest corner of the county around 4 PM Saturday for a report of a family dispute.

The caller, identified as the suspect’s wife, reported that during an argument her husband had armed himself with a gun and fired a round off. Several family members then left the home – with three children, including two infants and a three-year-old child – still left inside with the husband.

Officials say the first deputy arriving on the scene heard a second round being fired, which appeared to have come from the back of the home. Deputies confirmed the suspect was outside the house, then went inside to find the children were safe.

The release says the SWAT team was called in due to the man’s “unknown mental status and location of the potentially armed suspect.” SWAT members used their armored rescue vehicle to safely removed the children to a safe location to be reunited with their mother.

The Sheriff’s Office says after a search of the area, the suspect was located and taken into custody without incident almost two miles east of the home in a farm field. He faces charges of disorderly conduct while armed.

Sheriff Martin Schulteis said in a statement that the “young man had been under a great deal of external stress and simply lost control.” Schulteis added that he is “thankful that he did not hurt himself or any of his loved ones.”