Wheaton man shoots himself after stand off
A 30-year-old Wheaton man shot and killed himself Wednesday after a nearly two-hour standoff with police in the front yard of a home in the city's Danada East neighborhood.
The incident forced the temporary evacuation of nearby parks and kept residents in their homes for much of the early afternoon.
Police said the man, whose identity was being withheld pending notification of his family, shot himself once in the head.
Authorities said the incident began when the man, wearing blue swim trunks and holding a T-shirt, entered a FedEx delivery truck about 12:32 p.m. while the driver was delivering a package on Hawkins Circle.
Resident Nicole Molino said the female driver "turned around and yelled 'What are you doing in my truck?' The guy is in her truck searching through it. He started singing, like in opera," Molino said. "He started walking up the driveway, and the FedEx lady called 911 and started running."
Wheaton Deputy Chief Tom Meloni said officers searched the area and found the suspect standing elsewhere on Hawkins Circle brandishing a handgun in his right hand. Officers surrounded the area and cordoned off the neighborhood. Residents were warned to stay inside their homes and area parks, including Wheaton Park District's Rice Pool and Water Park, were evacuated.
Officers negotiated with the man for nearly two hours, continuously ordering him to drop the weapon. The suspect refused to surrender the gun as he stood, paced or sat in the front yard of a Hawkins Circle home while holding the weapon pointed at his own head, Meloni said.
At 2:43 p.m., the man shot himself.
Andrew Davisch watched the episode unfold from a neighbor's home.
"After about two hours, he just pulled the trigger," Davisch said. "... He fell down, and that was it."
Paramedics examined the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The DuPage County coroner's office responded to conduct the death investigation and officials are attempting to notify the man's family members.
• Daily Herald photographer Tanit Jarusan contributed to this report.
Shoot: Wheaton parks, pool closed during standoff