March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008(AP) – After what they thought was a six-hour standoff with an armed and injured man who had shot someone, police found his body and discovered that he apparently had been dead since they first arrived.
Officers had thrown tear gas and flash grenades into the house after repeated attempts to negotiate with Roderick Burns, 35, whose body was found Friday near the front door, Thibodaux Police Chief Craig Melancon.
Police thought they heard someone moving in the house when they arrived, and a handgun was found next to the body. But Burns, of New Orleans, apparently had been dead for about six hours and 20 minutes, Melancon said.
Melancon said the incident apparently began after another man burst into the house where Burns had been hired to repair a floor, wielding a 9mm gun and demanding that Burns pay an alleged debt.
Patricia Vincent, who lives nearby, said Burns began emptying money from his pockets, then bolted toward the other man. They struggled, and she heard the gun go off four or five times, Vincent said.
Pyrell Duncan of Thibodaux was hit several times in the leg and was in the intensive care unit at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center recovering from surgery, officials said.
Melancon said police are investigating the matter as a possible armed robbery.
