OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Officers found a man dead at his Nebraska Panhandle home about an hour after his son launched a failed bid to rob a nearby pharmacy that escalated into a lengthy hostage situation and shoot-out with police, authorities said Wednesday.
The body of Larry Gonzalez, 62, was discovered Tuesday morning at his house soon after Andres Gonzalez, 27, began his 14-hour standoff at the Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts in downtown Alliance, Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said in a statement.
Collins did not explain what led law enforcement officers to check the home the father and son shared, nor what caused the older man's death. Andres Gonzalez was shot to death early Wednesday as police closed in to arrest him and end the pharmacy heist.
Much of downtown Alliance remained blocked off Wednesday and authorities released little new information as the investigation continued in the small, remote city that lies about 370 miles west of Omaha.
"This is a very complex and involved investigation," said K. J. Hutchinson, Box Butte County Attorney. A grand jury will review the case because officers were trying to arrest Andres Gonzalez when he died.