The alleged gang member who shot a firefighter in a Staten Island home Friday morning, sparking a tense six-hour standoff that culminated with loud blasts and gunfire, is dead, law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York.
Garland Tyree, 38, was found dead in the home on Destiny Court in Mariners Harbor after a shootout at about 11:45 a.m., the sources say. It's not clear if he was killed by police as they traded fire, or if he took his own life.
Tyree, an alleged member of the Nine Trey Gangsters chapter of the Bloods street gang, had barricaded himself in the home after shooting FDNY Lt. Jim Hayes, 54, who had responded to the residence after U.S. Marshals tried to execute a warrant for the 38-year-old at about 6 a.m.
Marshals had gone into the Tyree's basement apartment and found it full of smoke, so they called in the FDNY, police say. Hayes, a 31-year veteran with the force, went inside to look for people inside and found Tyree hiding in the shower. That's when the man allegedly opened fire, hitting Hayes in the buttocks and ankle.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said that Hayes ran from the apartment and didn't realize that he had been shot until he was outside. Police then moved to set up a perimeter, and Tyree fired a few more shots.
Heavily armed tactical teams and uniformed officers alike then swarmed the house, which was relatively quiet for more than 6 hours. They set up a line of communication with Tyree at about 7:40 a.m. and negotiators worked with the man, who was thought to be armed with an assault rifle.
Then, shortly before noon, four loud blasts and heavy gunfire could be heard as the standoff came to a head.
A post on a Facebook page thought to belong to Tyree included the message "Today I die." The message was posted at about 6 a.m. Friday.
Homes around the scene were evacuated. One neighbor, Maria Quinones, described the scene through an interpreter.
"She heard the shots, then they came and took her out," the interpreter said. "She was scared but then she saw all the police action and she felt a little safer."
Nigro visited Hayes at the hospital after the shooting. He said the man is "as comfortable as you can be" and is with his family. Nigro said Hayes, a 31-year FDNY veteran, is one of four brothers to join the force and is a Sept. 11 first responder.
"He's lucky that he will survive this incident," Nigro said. "He acted heroically."
-- Brynn Gingras contributed to this report.