A Florida man suspected of killing one person and injuring another has died inside an apartment complex in Panama City, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to HuffPost.
Authorities were surveilling in connection to a homicide in nearby Walton County earlier on Tuesday, city officials confirmed to HuffPost. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office as 30-year-old Clinton Street in Santa Rosa Beach.
BSCO and Panama City Police Department were watching Holroyd’s residence on Beck Avenue when another resident of the Briarwood Apartments reported smelling gas fumes.
Upon approaching Holroyd’s home to investigate, the suspect fired upon law enforcement officials from a second-story window and began an hourslong standoff with authorities.
Photos from local publications showed and taking cover behind vehicles with guns drawn. The scene of the shooting is roughly 40 miles southeast of where Street’s body was discovered earlier Tuesday.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Highway Patrol, during the standoff.
Holroyd, 49, had barricaded himself in an apartment and about 100 rounds were shot during the altercation with law enforcement, a . A bomb squad attempted to breach the front door where Holroyd was hidden but had difficulty because the from the inside.
A multiagency SWAT team entered the townhome through an upstairs window using an elevated platform. Holroyd had doused the apartment in gasoline when police entered and found the suspect dead, the BSCO statement said. It’s still unclear how he died.
Holroyd had flares inside his gasoline-soaked apartment, which authorities believe was intended to start a fire. BSCO reported finding Holroyd in body armor along with was hundreds of rounds of ammunition and several high-powered rifles.
Kim Coram, co-owner of local restaurant Charlie Coram’s Place, told HuffPost that she began hearing what sounded like gunshots around 1:45 p.m.
“We were in the middle of our lunch rush and heard quite a number of shots so we’ve decided to cover in place,” Coram said. “We just tried to keep all customers inside.”
“There’s quite a number of marked and unmarked police cars, fire trucks,” she added. “They’ve got a lot of the road blocked in both directions. … You never really expect this to happen in this area … At this point, I’m just hoping everyone in the area is safe.”
Multiple schools in the area were .
An injured civilian is currently at Bay Medical Sacred Heart Hospital in stable condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman. BCSO identified the injured as an EMS worker who was “grazed” by a bullet.