A Bailey man fired shots, possibly at deputies, and then killed himself after dousing his home with gasoline and lighting it on fire, authorities said.
The body of the 60-year-old man was found after the fire was extinguished in the 100 block of Sun Way on Friday night, Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said Saturday.
Authorities were investigating what motivated the man to fire the shots and kill himself, Wegener said.
An hysterical woman called the Sheriff’s Office at 5:25 p.m. Friday to ask for help, Wegener said. The woman, along with her daughter and granddaughter, then ran from the house, The Flume newspaper of Bailey reported Saturday.
“She left when he started throwing stuff and started his tirade,” Wegener said.
When deputies arrived they heard pistol shots, Wegener said. But they did not know whether the man, whose identity has not been released, was firing at them, he said.
It is possible the man shot himself after setting the home on fire, Wegener said.
The man had barricaded himself inside and poured gas around the home, Wegener said. Deputies also heard loud noises and believe he was throwing furniture inside the house.
Deputies did not shoot into the house. An officer was preparing to shoot the man with a gun that fires nonlethal pellets when the fire started, Wegener said.
The man did not have a criminal record, he said.
“He hasn’t been a troublemaker,” Wegener said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
