The standoff ended after nearly 10 hours at a barn at 443 Mooresburg Springs Road, authorities said.By WHITNEY HOLMES
6 News Anchor/Reporter
MOORESBURG (WATE) -- Two men and a woman were killed in a murder - suicide Tuesday during a standoff with law enforcement in a Hawkins County barn.
Investigators believe one of the dead men, Darran Blevins, who was in his 20s, is the shooter.
The victims were Blevins' ex-stepfather, Dennis Christian, who was in his mid-60s, and Christian's live-in girlfriend, Brandy Seal, who was in her 20s.
The standoff ended after nearly 10 hours at a barn at 443 Mooresburg Springs Road, authorities said.
At least 40 officers from several agencies were on the scene at the height of the standoff, waiting to make entry into the barn.
Three nearby homes were also evacuated as a precaution.
Laura Fugate was sitting on her porch when she heard the shots.
"I heard a gunshot and then I heard someone scream just a real loud scream and I told my son You go out and look. There must be something wrong at the barn," Fugate said.
Her son said everything looked okay, but minutes later officers started arriving. "I knew there was something wrong," she said.
Hawkins County deputies got on the scene around 8:00 p.m. after they say a woman in the barn called about a domestic situation.
When officers arrived, they saw a man with a gun in the barn.
"A suspect came to a window, displayed a gun to the officers and discharged a round. That is the last contact we had with anyone in the house," said Det. Randy Collier with the Hawkins County Sheriff's Department.
All night, officers tried to negotiate with Blevins. At 4:00 a.m., they went in and found the bodies of Christian and Seal downstairs.
"At that time, our tactical unit heard footsteps upstairs so we backed out and tried to renegotiate and make contact with the suspect upstairs," said Det. Collier.
About an hour later, Fugate says she heard one more gun shot.
Around that time, officers moved in with a tactical unit, where they found Blevins in the upstairs level of the barn, who was also dead.
Fugate says she knew one of the victims and can't believe he'd lose his life like this. "I thought we lived in a safe community, but I don't know if you are safe anywhere anymore."
The bodies were sent to ETSU for autopsies.
Multiple weapons were found inside the barn.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has joined the investigation.
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