Sheriff: Father, son dead after hours-long standoff near Hornick, IA

UPDATE

HORNICK, Iowa (KTIV) - A son and father have died after a standoff in northwest Iowa started Sunday night and ended Monday morning after the son and law enforcement exchanged gunfire, according to authorities.

The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, a man called 911 saying his son was shooting at him. The caller gave his location near Hornick at 2595 Old Highway 141, and law enforcement was sent to the area.

According to the sheriff’s office, once deputies got to the scene they set up a perimeter. Authorities say they learned the suspected shooter, identified as 44-year-old Walter Sulsberger, was still on the property and was inside a white pickup truck.

At about 9:10 p.m., Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan says he was able to contact Walter Sulsberger over the phone. Sheriff Sheehan says while talking to him on the phone, Walter Sulsberger said: “There would be no peaceful resolutions and made threats toward law enforcement officers.”

Law enforcement departments from around Hornick were called in to assist the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, with some of them bringing all their armored vehicles and tactical personnel. The Iowa State Patrol also brought in air support to help deal with the situation.

A standoff ensued and authorities say the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office’s crisis negotiator spoke to Walter Sulsberger through the night.

At about 2:45 a.m. Monday, while the negotiator was trying to convince Walter Sulsberger to surrender, authorities say he opened fire at the tactical teams who were attempting to move in to take him into custody.

“Being met with gunfire and in fear for their lives and with no option, law enforcement personnel returned fire, striking the suspect,” stated Sheriff Sheehan during a press conference Monday afternoon.

Walter Sulsberger was pronounced dead at the scene, despite medical intervention by first responders. Walter Sulsberger’s father, 72-year-old Todd Sulsberger, was also pronounced dead at the scene. The exact cause of Todd Sulsberger’s death has not been released by law enforcement at this time.

According to Sheriff Sheehan, no first responders were injured during the standoff.

“To say that last night was anything less than frightening would be an understatement,” said Sheriff Sheehan. “It was something, as the chief and I spoke this morning, we could not have imagined that we would be involved in something that was as dramatic as it was last night for the tactical teams that were there when they came under heavy fire from a suspect.”

The name of the officer, or officers, involved in the shooting has not been released. During Monday’s press conference, the sheriff did say it is “standard procedure” for deputies who use deadly force to be placed on administrative leave, but he declined to discuss specifics.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was contacted to investigate the officer-involved shooting and Todd Sulsberger’s homicide. Both remain under investigation and the Iowa DCI is expected to release more information at a later date.

Sheriff Sheehan confirmed that several large hay bales in the area were set on fire during the incident, which could be seen from miles away. When asked if any buildings were set on fire, the sheriff said he was unaware of any structures being lit on fire during the course of the incident. At this time, it is unclear who set the hay bales on fire.

The following are some of the agencies that were involved in the standoff:

• Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office
• Sioux City Police Department
• Iowa State Patrol
• The Tri-County CERT Team
  • This is a tactical team made up of members of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Le Mars Police Department and the Cherokee Police Department.
• ATF
• Woodbury County Conservation
• Woodbury County Emergency Management
• Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation
• The Sloan Ambulance
• Hornick Fire/Ambulance
• Wings Air Care

This is a Developing Story. We’ll update this article as more information becomes available.

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HORNICK, Iowa (KTIV) - The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting and homicide that started on Sunday night.

The incident started Sunday after 7:30 p.m. when officials got a 911 call reporting a shooting at 2595 Old Highway 141 near Hornick.

Deputies responded to the scene and learned there was a victim of a shooting on the property.

The suspect was located on the property and deputies began speaking to him.

This lasted several hours into early Monday morning.

At approximately 2:45 a.m. the homicide suspect fired multiple shots at tactical teams who were attempting to take the suspect into custody.

KTIV News 4 will learn more about the details later at WCSO’s press conference today at 3 p.m. That press conference will be streamed in this article and on our Facebook page.