On October 7, 2016, 36-year-old Joseph S. Schroeder died after an hours-long standoff inside a Story Run residence in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Police responding to a shooting found Schroeder armed with a knife; he then grabbed a three-year-old child and barricaded himself inside the home, prompting a six-hour crisis negotiation that included a loudspeaker and later phone contact. Schroeder reportedly threatened to harm the child during those conversations.

When officers from the Emergency Services Team breached the house, they encountered Schroeder standing over the child with knives. Officers fired, fatally wounding Schroeder and rescuing the child, who was uninjured. The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office investigated and later determined the officers’ use of deadly force was justified, concluding they reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent serious bodily injury or death to the child; no criminal charges were filed.

Are there details about the timeline inside the house or the negotiators’ communications that anyone can add?