'Daughter's ex-boyfriend' zip-ties her family and holds them hostage for 17 hours before being shot dead by cops who find explosive devices in the Maine home
An assailant who kept three people hostage with zip-ties and a stun-gun in a 17-hour standoff that ended in his death was identified by one of the prisoners on Tuesday as his daughter's ex-boyfriend.
Kenny Smith, the last of three hostages to be freed, said Donald White had subdued him with a Taser and taken three shots with 'some kind of a gun' during the standoff in Maine which cops finally ended by 'deadly force' in the early hours of Tuesday. .
White, who was described by Smith as his daughter's ex-boyfriend, had burst into the Livermore Falls home early on Monday and taken three people hostage while a fourth person escaped and called police.
A bomb squad, tactical team and hostage negotiators from Maine's state police descended on the property before officers killed White and found explosive devices at the home.
A family is reunited in Livermore Falls after the day-long hostage situation which stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning was finally brought to an end
People embrace in Livermore Falls after the 17-hour hostage situation ended with all the prisoners freed and the assailant dead
Law enforcement members walk up Knapp Street in Livermore Falls, Maine, wheeling a bomb disposal unit following a hostage situation at a residence on the street a day earlier
Afterward, the bomb squad dealt with 'multiple explosive devices' that were left inside the home, police lieutenant Jason Madore said.
The episode unfolded Monday morning when White, 44, of Jay, burst into the home in Livermore Falls, a town of about 3,000, Madore said.
Police lieutenant Joe Sage said cops had been 'met with extremely dangerous conditions which developed into a situation involving multiple hostages'.
One occupant managed to flee and call police, while three others including Smith were held hostage by White.
Speaking to WMTV 8 News, Smith said that White had tasered him and threatened the other hostages at gunpoint.
'It was about 2.30 in the morning, and I thought I heard a noise - then I woke up, he turned the light on and he says, "just go along with it",' Smith recounted.
'He Tasered me... He had some kind of a gun. I don't know what it was. He took three shots. I could see powder come out of the end.'
During the standoff, two people were released but Smith was detained until early Tuesday.
Asked about visible injuries to his head and arms, he pointed to his legs and said he had suffered a 'slash' in what he described as a 'hell of a night'.
Kenny Smith, one of the hostages involved in the standoff, said the assailant was his daughter's ex-boyfriend and had taken three shots with 'some kind of a gun'
A member of the Maine State Police tactical team gears up before walking up to join fellow members after an armed man broke into a residence on the street and held three people hostage. Another person escaped earlier and reported the situation to police
State police responded with a tactical team, bomb squad and crisis negotiator, while county and federal law enforcement officials also joined others at the scene.
The state trooper who used deadly force was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, during the investigation, Madore said.
The medical examiner will determine how White died, he said.
Smith indicated the assailant knew his family, but police declined to talk about the relationship.
The Spruce Mountain School District closed schools Monday because the school resource officer was concerned that the suspect might have planted a bomb, Superintendent Scott Albert told News Center Maine.
A Walmart store in Farmington was also evacuated because of a bomb threat, but it was unclear if that was related, officials said.
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