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Police in Atlanta have shot dead a man who took four firefighters hostage, ending a siege that lasted several hours.
According to Reuters, "the firefighters, who are also trained as paramedics, went into the home to respond to what had been reported as a medical emergency, said Tommy Rutledge, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Fire Department. Nothing about the initial call seemed unusual. But once inside, the men were taken hostage.
A SWAT unit entered the house after deciding the lives of the firefighters were in imminent danger, a police spokesman said.
During the rescue effort, the firefighters received superficial wounds from an explosive device used to disorient the suspect, and an officer was shot in the arm or hand, Ritter said.
The wounded officer was in good condition late Wednesday, and the firefighters had all been released from Gwinnett Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Beth Okun said.
Property records show the home in Suwanee, about 35 miles northeast of Atlanta, is owned by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and a Freddie Mac spokesman confirmed to WSB-TV that the property was in foreclosure."
