FBI agents fatally shoot alleged hostage-taker in California – Al Jazeera

The shooting ends a 12-hour standoff in the city of Bakersfield between suspect and law enforcement.
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Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States have fatally shot a man who was allegedly holding hostages inside a building in California.
The shooting ended a 12-hour standoff at an office in Bakersfield that houses a bank branch and a school district office.
In a statement, the Bakersfield police said the suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel”.
It added that “all hostages were located unharmed and received medical evaluation and treatment at the scene”.
Later, on Wednesday morning, the Bakersfield Police Department confirmed that 10 hostages had been involved in the standoff.
Jeremy Blakemore, the  assistant chief of the department, described them as employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.
“We’re incredibly relieved to report that all of the hostages that were involved have been safely recovered and reunited with their families,” Blakemore said.
“There were a total of 10 members of our community whose lives were changed yesterday unexpectedly, but we are thankful that they have been reunited with their loved ones after this ordeal.”

Blakemore also offered a timeline for the standoff. Law enforcement had originally been called around 12:59pm Pacific time, following a bomb threat at the location. Police said the man barricaded himself inside with several people, two of whom were released Tuesday after negotiations with authorities.
Authorities established a wide perimeter around the building, evacuating the nearby City Hall and the police headquarters.
Bakersfield police sergeant, Eric Celedon, told reporters on Tuesday the department had “every single resource at our disposal out here to bring this to the safest resolution possible”.
Police on Wednesday said the investigation was ongoing and that “significant” law enforcement would remain in the area.
The identity of the suspect was not immediately released, and a motive was unclear.

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