A second decomposing body was found inside the Stamford, Conn., home where a suspect barricaded himself and opened fire on police before turning the gun on himself, authorities said Wednesday.
Jed Parkington, 63, was identified Wednesday as the shooter, Stamford police confirmed in a Facebook post. Parkington died inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, cops said.
While searching the home after Parkington’s death, officers found a concealed decomposing body on the home’s second floor, according to police. They also found numerous explosive devices including “pipe bombs, grenades and Molotov-style devices.”
Cops did not provide any information on the identity of the body.
The incident began when a state official attempting to serve an eviction notice at the Oaklawn Avenue home on Tuesday called for backup from police around 9:30 a.m., cops said. The situation escalated into a standoff over the next two hours.
When Stamford police brought in two SWAT vehicles, Parkington opened fire on the trucks, authorities said. Parts of the ensuing firefight were captured on social media video, with cops shouting at anyone nearby to take cover and flee the area.
The standoff continued for several hours, and multiple rounds of gunfire were exchanged. No officers were wounded in the incident.
Into the evening, cops heard a single gunshot from inside the residence and sent in a drone, which showed Parkington dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted bullet. The drone also spotted the various explosives in the home, and cops called in the bomb squad to clear the house before searching it themselves.
Prior to Tuesday, Parkington’s wife wrote a letter to the court begging them to delay the eviction until after the winter, for fear she and her husband would end up on the street, according to News 12 Connecticut. They’d reportedly been behind on their mortgage for a couple years.
“Please have mercy on me and allow me, my husband and my dog to stay in my home,” she wrote.