A father in Florida has died after he held his two children hostage during an 18-hour standoff where shots were exchanged with a SWAT team and their house caught fire.
Sonny Ray Holland Senior, 43, barricaded himself in his Venus home with the children, aged three and four, overnight and only let them go on last week Tuesday afternoon.
Police responded to a domestic violence call on Oliver Road at 9.40pm on Monday and the victim had escaped.
Holland refused to come out and crisis negotiators failed to persuade him to surrender or release the couple’s children.
Police intervention
Polk County’s SWAT Team eventually took control of the situation after more than 12 hours and the children were let go unharmed at 4.25pm on Tuesday.
Gas canisters were thrown inside to force Holland to leave but a gunshot was heard and the house caught on fire.
He came out and shot at the SWAT Team before he went back inside and died because he could not be rescued from the blaze.
Authorities tried to placate him
Sheriff deputies initially tried to establish a perimeter and tried to convince him to come outside over concerns of what he would do to the children if they entered forcefully.
Detectives had obtained a search and arrest warrant for the property and Holland who is a three-time convicted felon.
Crisis negotiations were joined by the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team to get the suspect to come outside or release the children but he repeatedly refused.
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Polk County’s SWAT Team took control after the standoff lasted more than 12 hours and the children were quickly released.
Liquid-based gas canisters were then thrown into the property to force Holland out.
But deputies heard a gunshot and the mobile home began smoking and started to burn.
Cause of death
Holland walked out and fired at the SWAT Team, who returned shots, before immediately going back inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
The property was fully engulfed in flames at this point and first responders were not able to enter and Holland died. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of his death.
