Bethlehem police negotiated with William Armpriester, 31, for four hours before gunshot.
By Pamela Lehman
Of The Morning Call
September 2, 2009
An armed man in a Bethlehem home held police at bay for nearly four hours Tuesday, causing the evacuation of nearby homes and putting some schools on lockdown, before he killed himself about 3:30 p.m.
The Lehigh County coroner's office identified the man as William C. Armpriester, 31, of 619 Third Ave. Police said in a news release he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Armpriester was involved in a domestic dispute with a woman Monday night, police said. The Tuesday standoff began around noon when a woman fled from the home, but Armpriester refused to leave and threatened to kill himself with a handgun, police said.
Dozens of people gathered on street corners to watch the event unfold. Several streets surrounding the house were closed as police negotiated with Armpriester.
A man and woman stood outside the house and yelled for "Bill" to give himself up and come outside.
Around 3:30 p.m., a shot rang out, and police said they lost contact with Armpriester. Police fired numerous rounds of tear gas and bean bags into the windows of the house before finding Armpriester dead in the living room.
At 2 p.m., Calypso Elementary School and Nitschmann Middle School were placed on lockdown. The lockdown also affected Liberty High School students, who were not allowed to leave school if they had to walk home toward Third Avenue. The schools were reopened when police cleared the scene around 4:30 p.m.
In April, Armpriester pleaded guilty to a simple assault charge filed in February by Bethlehem police. He was sentenced to drug and alcohol counseling and up to one year in prison.
Armpriester also was awaiting trial in Lehigh County on charges of drunken driving and driving with a suspended license. Those charges also were filed by Bethlehem police in February.
The coroner's office said it will conduct an autopsy today or Thursday.
-- Reporters Steve Esack and Manuel Gamiz Jr. contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2009, The Morning Call
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