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04/15/2022 12:00 AMAn 18-hour standoff between an armed male and the Guilford and State police ended with Keith Neal, 51, of Guilford, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound; no other injuries were reported and no members of law enforcement fired their weapons. Neal is believed to have been the same person involved in a house fire in Guilford on Route 80 who then fled to the residence on Fitch Hill Road, according to Guilford Police Chief Butch Hyatt.
The incident started at approximately 12:30 p.m. on April 13 when the Guilford Fire Department responded to a 911 call of a structure fire at 1161 Route 80. When emergency personnel arrived at that scene, they observed a male with two long guns emerge in “a threatening manner,” according to police reports. No direct threats were made to these personnel. The individual fled that scene in a vehicle; police were contacted and an investigation begun.
According to Hyatt, a resident of the Fitch Hill Road home, who was described as a “family member” by police, reported that Neal was at her home and that she was attempting to get the individual to surrender.
That is when the 18-hour standoff began. Police were at the residence all evening and according to Hyatt, with the intent of de-escalating the situation and create a dialog with the individual.
According to police sources, at some point in the early morning hours of April 14, members of the SWAT team on scene heard a woman yelling in distress from inside the house. A female was rescued from the residence by the SWAT team and taken to a hospital for examination.
According to Hyatt, police used a diversionary device, which make loud noises, to get inside the home after the woman was heard yelling. Nearby residents upon hearing those noises may have assumed it was gunshots, but according to Hyatt, no officers fired their weapons.
According to police statements, Neal was found dead on the second floor of the home from an apparent gunshot wound. Hyatt said that the initial investigation and evidence at the scene appear to indicate the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.
“I don’t know what precipitated the fire on Wednesday, those are all things we are going to look into in the investigation…Some investigation has been done to date, but a much more thorough investigation will be continuing now,” Hyatt said.
Roads were reopened and a shelter in place order was lifted shortly after 8 a.m., according to police.
If you or if someone you know is considering suicide or other forms of self-harm, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.