UPDATE, 12:20 p.m. : Deputies confirm Nick Ray, 39, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the garage of his home, after engaging in a standoff with authorities for hours.
Ray's wife and children escaped the home shortly after Ray threatened them, around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Ray refused to come out of his garage. After repeated attempts to contact him, deputies used a robotic camera to check on his status, confirming Ray had shot himself around 7 a.m.
More on this story tonight on KREM 2 News @ 5 & 6, and on KREM.com
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
OKANOGAN, Wash. -- Authorities from the Okanogan Sheriff's Office are on the scene of a standoff on Orchard Grade, just outside of the Okanogan city limits.
Sheriff Frank Rogers says it started around 4:00 a.m. when the man threatened to kill his wife and two children, then himself. His wife was able to call 911.
The sheriff says the woman and her children were able to crawl out a front window, once deputies arrived. He says the husband then ran and locked himself in a detached garage. They say he has a pistol and his phone with him.
Deputies have been trying to contact him by phone and from outside the garage, but he won't respond to them.
Orchard Grade near Sixth Avenue is blocked for about a quarter mile. We're told no nearby homes had to be evacuated.
The sheriff says the wife and kids have left the scene with friends or family.
beebur said on November 3, 2009 at 1:58 PM
So very sad and tragic. May the lord be with him and all family and friends in this difficult time.