A standoff Wednesday night between police and a Fort Stewart soldier in a Hinesville mobile home park ended peacefully when the soldier surrendered. 

 The standoff began shortly after 8 p.m. in the Happy Acres mobile home park on Kelly Drive after police received a report that a shot had been fired inside lot 213, according to HPD Sgt. Mike  Gosseck and a report filed by Officer Jassen Garrett.
He said the incident started because the soldier reportedly became despondent after his wife left Hinesville to return to her Florida  home.

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson identified the soldier as Spc. Matthew Driggers, 22, who is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team. The specialist’s wife, Laura Driggers, reportedly called 911 and told the dispatcher her husband was going to commit suicide and had an AK-47 assault rifle. At the time of the incident, the soldier’s friend, who Larson identified as Pfc. Travis Flack, 22, was visiting the mobile home. He and Driggers are in the same brigade. Flack’s role in the incident is under  investigation.

A section of the park was closed as officers surrounded the home, according to the report. The initial report of a shot fired was the only exchange heard during the nearly three-and-a-half-hour standoff, which ended with no injuries shortly before midnight as Driggers and Flack exited the home with their hands above their heads. The men were ordered to their knees and handcuffed.

Authorities said they found what appeared to be an automatic weapon in the home. Chief of Detectives Maj.Thomas Cribbs said the men were turned over to officials on Fort Stewart, where they will undergo medical evaluations. Cribbs said no charges have been filed against the men. The incident is under investigation.