By Chase Purdy
Authorities on Friday identified man found dead following a three-hour barricade situation the night before.
Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher said Donald Eugene Bennett, 39, of Dayton, came to the front door of a home in the 500 block of New Hope-Crimora Road looking for his wife and child.
“The estranged wife sought refuge here in Augusta with a family member,” Fisher said. “That’s why this situation happened the way it did.”
Deputies were called to the home Thursday about 4:30 p.m. after Bennett’s mother in law dialed 911 for help. Inv. Brian Jenkins said the woman found Bennett waiting for her when she got home, he was holding a handgun.
As deputies pulled onto the property, Bennett dashed into the house, authorities said. For three hours, investigators tried in vain to contact him using loudspeakers and telephones.
About 9:30 p.m. deputies shot tear gas into the home, broke through the basement window and found Bennett laying dead on the floor with a gunshot wound through his head. A shotgun, handgun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were discovered on the floor next to him, Fisher said.
Augusta County authorities found themselves in a similar barricade situation in December. That situation, which took place in Greenville, ended when the man inside the home turned himself in to police custody.
“Most of them do end up peacefully,” Fisher said. “But we have had several that decided to take their own lives. There are only two ends to this, one is good and one is bad.”
At the time of the barricade, Bennett had a protective order placed against him by his wife, the sheriff said.
Authorities said they’ll investigate scene photos, sketches and the medical examiner’s report before finding any conclusions in the case.
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