Thursday morning standoff near Grand Island hospital ends peacefully

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - An armed stand-off which forced a Grand Island hospital to lock-down for a time Thursday morning ended without an arrest or harm to anyone.

The incident started about 5 a.m. after a reported argument involving a man with weapons and knives in an apartment building near Orleans Drive, just west of CHI Health St. Francis hospital.

Police said the man appeared to be drunk and had barricaded himself in the hallway of the building. “We know he has both firearms and knives and we’re currently negotiating with him to successfully surrender,” Grand Island Police Captain Dean said at the time.

Police said the man lived in one of the apartments and threatened to harm himself.

Three hostage negotiators and a mental health professional were on scene during the standoff. Police said the situation resolved itself by 9:30 a.m. It was not immediately clear how the situation was resolved, but police said the man was no longer a threat and police and emergency workers left the scene. The man was left in the care of mental health professionals.

There were no reports of shots fired or injuries during the incident.

Police evacuated some of the people in the building during the stand-off, but others had to shelter in place in their apartments because the man blocked the hallway. A spokesperson for the hospital said the lockdown lasted for a short time Thursday morning, but normal operations had resumed by 8:30 a.m.

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