Man dead after standoff ended with a gunshot and house fire in Vernon Parish

The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Department says a man is dead after a standoff ended with a gunshot
and a house fire. Sheriff Sam Craft says the series of events began during the noon hour on Wednesday when the man and his wife were involved in a disturbance and he, armed with a gun, wouldn't let her leave the house on O'Hara Road, about 5 miles south of Leesville. Craft said eventually the woman got her husband to calm down and they both walked outside, at which point she ran to safety while he ran back in the house and a short time later, she saw smoke coming from out of the structure. According to Craft, deputies arrived a short time later and made contact with the man on his cell phone and tried to get him to exit the burning house, but he refused. Craft said when the smoke increased and they could see flames in the house, his deputies along with Louisiana State Police, the Sandy Hill Fire Department, and personnel from Fort Polk began a frantic effort to gain entry into the home to locate the man. When they did get in, Craft said they found him dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The name of the man has not yet been released.