Teen homicide suspect in custody after hours-long SWAT standoff in Sidney
A 16-year-old was taken into custody after Police and SWAT teams spent over eight hours outside of a home in Sidney.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, police arrived at a home in the 400 block of Second Avenue in the early morning hours to serve an arrest warrant on a teen accused of stabbing a 23-year-old.
>> PHOTOS: SWAT standoff in Sidney neighborhood
He wasn’t there then but showed up later around 9:30 a.m. The suspect’s stepfather told News Center 7 that when his 16-year-old stepson showed up, the rest of the family left the home and called the police, leading to the standoff.
News Center 7 first got on the scene around 12:30 p.m. Our crew reported witnessing law enforcement shoot tear gas and what appeared to be a flash bang into the home. They’ve also made attempts to contact the suspect via phone and loudspeaker.
Rode said the suspect allegedly stabbed and killed a 23-year-old man, identified to News Center 7 by his mother as Christian Vaughn, at Brown Park overnight. He said the stabbing happened after a large fight which included around 10 people.
>> ‘We gave it our best;’ Pizza place near UD closes
A juvenile male was also hurt in the fight and is in critical condition.
Officers located the 16-year-old suspect in a small compartment near the attic of the home around 6:30 p.m. and he was taken into custody, according to Deputy Chief Aaron Rode.
Officers believe he had been hiding in the spot since they arrived on the scene at 9:30 a.m.
The inside of the home was described as “cluttered” by Rode which added difficulty to the search.
The 16-year-old was charged with one count of murder and one count of felonious assault, according to Sidney police.
We’ll continue to provide updates as we learn more.
