Man fatally shot in standoff in Washington County

BRISTOL, Va. (AP) — A Washington County man is dead following a standoff with police.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says 55-year-old Dennis D. Morrell was fatally shot Tuesday evening after he threatened officers with a gun.

Geller says the standoff began Tuesday afternoon when the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an armed man barricaded inside a home.

Officers communicated with Morrell off and on during the afternoon. Geller says in a news release that Morrell came out of the residence around 5:45 p.m. and threatened the officers.

Geller says police shot Morrell and he died later Tuesday evening at a Bristol hospital. No deputies or troopers were injured.

The shooting occurred about 8 miles northeast of Bristol.

Virginia State Police are investigating the incident.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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