Update: Southeast Standoff Ends In Sucide

UPDATE 4:30PM The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that a standoff between an armed man and police at the man's Southeast home ended in an apparent suicide. Police identified the deceased as 60-year-old George S. Bateman.

A neighborhood in Putnam County looked like a war zone Monday after as many as 50 heavily armed police officers attempted to stop an armed man barricaded inside his home from harming himself or others.

Police say around 12:15 p.m. Monday Bateman reportedly called his life insurance agent to express his suicidal thoughts and threatened to use violence on any police officer that tried to stop him. Following the phone call, the insurance agent notified authorities.

Police officers were sent to the house located on Nichols Road in Southeast near the intersection of Route 121. When police arrived on the scene, they heard gunshots coming from the home. Investigators have not been able to determine if those gun shots exited the house.

Heavily armored officials helped evacuate several nearby residences. Armored vehicles were used to transport some of the residents.  A SWAT team and a law enforcement robot were also deployed at the scene.  Other residents in the area received a phone call to stay inside their homes.

During the standoff, Bataman briefly came out of his house holding a handgun and wearing a bullet-proof vest. A short-time later a state police remote-controlled robot was sent inside the house and it was discovered that Bateman had apparently taken his own life.

The Putnam County Coroner's Office has ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.