4 Firefighters Safe; Gunman Dead in Hostage Standoff

Four firefighters are safe and the gunman who was holding them hostage in northeast Georgia is dead after police stormed the home this evening. The firefighters have only superficial injuries, though a police officer was shot in the hand during the rescue. Police used explosives to enter the home in Suwanee, where the ordeal had started hours earlier when five firefighters responded to a medical call. They were taken hostage at the scene.

The gunman eventually released one of them to move the fire truck. Television helicopter footage showed police and fire trucks surrounding the neighborhood of mostly two-story homes and well-kept lawns about 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. WSB-TV says the man faked a heart attack to draw firefighters to his home. His motive isn't known. (More Atlanta stories.)