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Police: Woman Killed, 3 Sexually Assaulted During Standoff

MECOSTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — One woman was killed and three others were sexually assaulted during an overnight standoff at a home in West Michigan, police said Friday.

A woman was on the phone with her boyfriend Thursday night when a man with a shotgun entered through an unlocked door, said Mecosta County Sheriff Todd Purcell.

A 911 call placed later sent police to the home in Mecosta Township, about 40 miles northeast of Grand Rapids, beginning a 10-hour standoff. Police could not see inside and had only sporadic contact with the suspect, now known to be a 26-year-old man who lived across the street.

The woman and two of her friends were repeatedly sexually assaulted, and another woman was fatally shot, authorities said. Three children also were in the home.

By 4:42 a.m. Friday, the suspect allowed the children — two 7-year-old boys and an infant girl — to leave the home, The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV reported. Two women in their 20s also were released.

The remaining hostage came out about two hours later followed by the suspect, who is in custody and faces possible murder and criminal sexual conduct charges, Purcell said.

A fourth woman, a 58-year-old from Morley, was shot and killed Thursday night before police arrived, the sheriff said.

When the man entered the home, police said, the woman immediately ended the call with her boyfriend, who became concerned and contacted the woman's mother to check on her. The mother headed over to the home with a friend but was not able to make contact with anyone inside.

Meanwhile, the suspect called his aunt from inside the home, and she called emergency dispatchers.

Sheriff's deputies arrived soon after and heard a woman's voice coming from inside the home. "He has hostages," she said.

A man inside uttered some curse words and made derogatory statements to police, saying "We were the reason he was in this place in the first place," according to Purcell, who said the suspect was intoxicated during the standoff.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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