photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister, left, is pictured with his spokesman, George Diepenbrock, on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at a news conference regarding a suspected homicide south of Eudora.

Updated at 6:25 Friday, Dec. 6

A man and woman were found dead inside a rural Douglas County residence south of Eudora on Friday afternoon after a 20-hour stand-off with police. 

The incident began just before 9 p.m. on Thursday when a woman called 911 to report breathing problems. When a Eudora police officer responded to the 900 block of East 2300 Road, he heard a gunshot inside the residence, Sheriff Jay Armbrister said during a press conference near the residence at 3 p.m. Friday. 

“(The officer) arrived very quickly, and as soon as he arrived on scene, he got up to the house, and when he made it to the front door, there was a gunshot that went out from inside the home, and a male voice could be heard inside,” Armbrister said. 

Armbrister said a man, whose identity and address were not revealed, was still in the residence at that time, along with the woman’s body, which authorities could see just inside the house via a drone. 

Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday KHP made entry into the residence and found the suspect dead. Identification of the victim and suspect will be released later, pending notification of family members. According to preliminary information, the male suspect, 52, shot and killed a woman, 44, at the residence. The incident involved two people in a domestic relationship, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

At one point, phone contact had been made with the man, whom Armbrister said was active on social media after the standoff began, but was then lost.

“We (had) backed away because the suspect was still in contact (at that time), overtly hostile and threatening to shoot law enforcement, and had barricaded himself inside the residence,” Armbrister said. 

Armbrister also said there was some concern that the home could contain explosives, contributing to the length of the standoff.

“There has been conjecture that there is explosives inside the residence, and without having any direct evidence or knowledge of it being there, we still have to treat it as if it’s possible. So that’s that’s really why this has taken a long time,” Armbrister said. 

The house is home to other members of the man’s family, Armbrister said. He said there were pets inside but no one else except the man and the deceased woman.

“I’ve been in contact with families, and I’ve been as transparent as I possibly can with them, but they’re the only ones that I’m working with,” Armbrister said. 

A variety of agencies responded to the incident. The Lawrence Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office worked the scene and a Kansas Highway Patrol Bearcat Armored Vehicle was reportedly called to relieve the Lawrence Police Department’s armored vehicle. During the incident, a Life Star helicopter was also reportedly called, but further details about its use were unclear.