Kansas City standoff ends with suspect dead and apartment on fire

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A three-hour standoff early Thursday morning in Kansas City ended with the suspect dead and an apartment on fire, according to the Kansas City Police Department.

Officers responded just before midnight to an apartment building on Kenwood Avenue near East 36th Street after receiving word that a suspect wanted by law enforcement was at the location. A woman inside the apartment had called police and said he was inside the apartment, and that the suspect was a wanted escapee, police said.

Officers said they attempted to negotiate with the man, who said he had a gun and would not come out peacefully. At some point during the standoff, the suspect started a fire, and police and firefighters had to work to put the fire out, according to the police department.

Around 3 a.m., police and firefighters were able to make their way into the actual apartment, where the found the man dead. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death, and said he did not die through any police actions. 

No one else was hurt in the incident, and the surrounding apartments had been cleared.