The authorities identified on Wednesday an armed man who allegedly held his mother-in-law and son hostage in a home on Delaware Avenue before taking his own life.
The man was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner's office as 48-year-old John Carroll Lowery.
The police found Lowery dead inside the home in the 2900 block of Delaware Avenue early Wednesday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators are still trying to determine "what set him off," said police public information officer Sgt. Richard Lewis. They believe Lowery—who was armed with a handgun and rifle—was upset over a strained relationship with his estranged wife, Lewis said.
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The couple lived together in the Delaware Avenue residence with their 15-year-old son and her elderly mother.
Lowery's 12-hour standoff with police unfolded when the teenage son called police to report he had been tied up with rope and taken hostage by his father and that he, the son, managed to escape. The teenager said his grandmother was also being held and was still inside the home.
The 87-year-old woman emerged unharmed five hours later around 10 p.m. Tuesday and was interviewed by police after being treated by Santa Monica firefighters.
Police entered the home after communication with Lowery broke down early Wednesday morning. SWAT team officers found the man dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a bedroom when they entered the home about 4 a.m., Lewis said.
— City News Service contributed to this report.
