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Chicago standoff ends; suspect apparently shot himself

CHICAGO (AP) - After hours in a standoff with a man suspected of killing three people, Chicago Police SWAT officers rushed into the house Thursday afternoon to find the man had apparently shot himself.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the man's body was found in an upstairs room of the home in the Fernwood neighborhood on the Far South Side.

Deputy Chief Steve Georges said a gun was recovered from the hands of the man, who was identified as Kevin Robinson, 29, a convicted felon.

Georges also said police had a short conversation over a telephone with the suspect, after which he appeared in a window and fired 10 to 12 shots at police.

"The conversation was more us talking to him to get him to come out to talk to his brother to get him to surrender," he said, adding authorities worked with his mother to audio record a message that was repeatedly played to get him to surrender.

Robinson's family also used bullhorns to implore him to give himself up, Guglielmi said. But when the man refused to come out, police fired gas canisters into the home and then went into the home.

It was not immediately clear if Robinson had been struck by any of the bullets fired by officers, Guglielmi said. No officers were hurt.

Police said Robinson has an extensive record, including an arrest for attempted murder and an armed robbery conviction for which he served time in prison.

He was wanted for questioning in the shooting deaths of three people Wednesday night in the West Englewood neighborhood. The shooter knew the victims, who appear to have been from the same family, police spokeswoman Laura Amezaga said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified them as Makeesha Starks and Kiara Kinard, both 26, and Jerome T. Wright, 50. Two were shot in the head and one in the back, Amezaga said.

"I don't know why anybody would do anything like that," said Jonathan Ford, a relative of the victims. "Keesha and Kiara were hard-working women and great mothers."

Outside of the home Thursday, an armored police vehicle and several patrol cars were parked outside. Some officers wore helmets and carried rifles. Anxious neighbors milled about beyond a police barricade, including a woman who burst into tears at the sound of the gunfire.

Police cordon off an area where a possible murder suspect has fired shots at officers surrounding a South Side home where he is barricaded Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Chicago. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says officers returned fire but it was unclear if the man was hit. No officers were hurt. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Ge Ge Gatewood reacts after hearing gunshots at the scene where a possible murder suspect has fired shots at officers surrounding a South Side home where he is barricaded Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Chicago. Gateway's two teenage children were in the home next door and went to the basement when they heard the shots. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said officers returned fire but it was unclear if the man was hit. No officers were hurt. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Police cordon off an area where a possible murder suspect has fired shots at officers surrounding a South Side home where he is barricaded Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Chicago. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said officers returned fire but it was unclear if the man was hit. No officers were hurt. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Ge Ge Gatewood, right, reacts after hearing gunshots at the scene where a possible murder suspect has fired shots at officers surrounding a South Side home where he is barricaded Thursday, May 12, 2016, in Chicago. Gateway's two teenage children were in the home next door and went to the basement when they heard the shots. Co-worker Alton Kelly, left, comforts Gatwood at the scene. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Chicago SWAT officers gather outside a house after rushing the structure where a man suspected of killing a few people had barricaded himself and fired shots at officers on the south side of Chicago on Thursday, May 12, 2016. After hours in a standoff with a man suspected of killing a few people, Chicago Police SWAT officers rushed into the house Thursday afternoon to find the man had apparently shot himself. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
Chicago SWAT officers gather outside a house before rushing the structure where a murder suspect had barricaded himself and fired shots at officers, on the south side of Chicago on Thursday, May 12, 2016. After hours in a standoff with a man suspected of killing a few people, Chicago Police SWAT officers rushed into the house Thursday afternoon to find the man had apparently shot himself. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) The Associated Press
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