Lawrence police investigate after shots were fired Tuesday morning in north-central Lawrence. The photo was taken near the intersection of Stowe Drive and Alister Drive.

Following an hourslong standoff, Lawrence police have arrested a man suspected of firing a gun into the air in his north-central Lawrence neighborhood.

Police responded to a report of a man shooting a handgun outside a residence in the 600 block of North Stowe Court shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday, Lawrence Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads said in a news release.

Officers determined the man had returned to his home after the incident, and they attempted to contact him for the next several hours, Rhoads said. Police arrested the man after he exited his house shortly before 1:30 p.m., Rhoads said.

No injuries were reported and the man was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, Rhoads said. Officers believe they found the suspect’s gun during a search of the house, and prosecutors will determine possible charges after the evaluation process, Rhoads said.

Earlier in the morning, Officer Drew Fennelly said police did not believe anyone else was in the house.

The neighborhood is northwest of Peterson Road and Iowa Street, directly south of Interstate 70 on the north edge of town. During the standoff, police blocked off nearby Stowe Drive and Brett Drive and set up a command post near Brett Drive and Berwick Way.

Around 11 a.m., a woman on Brett Drive stepped out of her house to ask officers, “Is it safe?” An officer told her she was safe at her location, although police attempted to contact and evacuate some residents closer to the suspect’s house inside North Stowe Court, according to emergency radio traffic.

The suspect’s residence was not visible to reporters because of the blocked-off streets.

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