RICHMOND, Va. -- Loud and multiple booms were the final sounds from a standoff that lasted four hours on Richmond's Southside Friday night.
"We are just glad that it's over," a local resident said. "Sorry someone got shot."
Police said that Otis Jones, 53, left a woman with a bullet in the chest area. The woman, who is a relative of Jones, was taken to Chippenham Hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Jones was first checked out inside an ambulance. He was then placed in the back of a Richmond Police van.
Jones has been charged with malicious wounding. Other charges may be placed after detectives consult with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
"He was apprehended by our officers," Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said.
Jones first barricaded himself inside his home just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It all happened in the 4200 block of Stockton Street, just blocks from the McGuire VA Medical Center. Originally, detectives were responding to a shooting. But when cops arrived at the gunman's house, he refused to come out; a standoff pursued.
"He is in a house by himself, so that's a good thing," Durham said. "There's no one else in there right now at this moment."
It was a moment that stretched on for hours -- as Richmond police, K-9 units, heavily armed SWAT teams and armored vehicles moved in. Meanwhile some neighbors were forced out of their homes, into the cold -- as a safety precaution.
"To see Richmond Police in army uniforms, it was serious," someone living nearby said.
With the help of robots, explosives were used to make entry. In a last ditch effort, unspecified chemicals were also used to force the barricaded man to make a move.
"At that time the suspect attempted to exit the home through the rear and we made the arrest," Durham said.
Meanwhile, those evacuated were finally allowed back into their homes.
"It's just a sad day you know, we shouldn't have to live like this," Richmond resident Richard Holmes said.
The niece of the accused gunman told CBS 6 Reporter Jerrita Patterson, her uncle has suffered from mental health problems for decades. She is hopeful he will get the help he needs.
