A man who allegedly took a 7-year-old hostage before dying by suicide Jan. 14 was identified by the Hennepin County Attorney’s office Jan. 19.

Travis Swanson, 38, of Glasford, Illinois, was identified by the County Attorney’s Office as having died from a gunshot wound to the head in the incident. His death was ruled a suicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.

Brooklyn Park police were dispatched to the 7500 block of 83rd Avenue at approximately 3:15 p.m. on a report of a suspicious male walking through residential yards. A second caller reported that a male had broken into his home and fled on foot.

Arriving officers were flagged down by a family that reported a male had broken into their home. While several children had fled the home as the suspect entered, a 7-year-old child had hidden in a closet.

Swanson allegedly found the child and took him hostage, telling police he was armed with several guns.

A crisis negotiation and SWAT team arrived on the scene, and after a period of negotiation, the child was released physically unharmed.

According to the Medical Examiner, Swanson died at 9:57 p.m. of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Through the TIP411 alert system, police reported that the incident had ended at 10:30 p.m.

Copyright © 2020 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.

Tags

Load comments