A seven- hour standoff in Allenhurst ended in gunfire and the suspect dying from injuries he sustained as authorities moved in to end it Saturday afternoon.

According to Liberty County Sheriff, William Bowman the standoff which began as a hostage situation, began when deputies went to investigate a domestic dispute on the 100 block of Maggie Lane.

When deputies arrived, the suspect had let two of his children and a friend of the children go, but continued to hold his wife hostage.   

After several hours of negotiations, officers were able to assist in the wife’s escape when she jumped from a second story window onto a trampoline the officers used to break her fall.

The standoff between the police and suspect continued for several more hours with the suspect threatening to shoot his wife’s service dog,  if they attempted to enter the home.

Police in tactical gear surrounded the house ending the standoff when they employed a flash grenade and tear gas into the front door and a side window.  

At one point gunfire erupted and it is not known if the suspect shot himself of was injured by gunfire returned by the police.  The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is on scene to determine how he was injured.

Bowman said the man was transported to Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville and they later learned the suspect had died.