Roanoke Co. SWAT finds man dead inside home following Sunday night incident

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - UPDATE: Roanoke County officials say Roanoke County SWAT entered the home after 2 a.m. and found the person dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EARLIER: Roanoke County Assistant Chief Chuck Mason said officers were assisting with a mental health-related situation Sunday night.

Mason said police got a call for a wellness check at a house on Dogwood Avenue near Salem. When police arrived, a person was armed and passed out. He awakened when police arrived and became hostile. He had other weapons. Mason said he was not cooperating with police, but negotiators were on scene to try to communicate with him.

“This is a situation or a type of situation we deal with, unfortunately, very often. First and foremost, we’re going to try communication, just talk him down, and that very well could take some time,” Mason said.

Officers are treating this situation as a mental health one rather than a criminal one, but Mason said it is still considered dangerous, since the person is armed.

Roanoke County Officers said they were getting a drone to the scene, and a SWAT team is there.

Mason said they hope to talk the man out of the house peacefully and resolve this incident without any violence. They are working to take the man into custody for a mental health evaluation.