Suspect in custody after 3 found dead following standoff in Bucks County

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Three people were found dead inside a home after a standoff with a knife-wielding suspect in the Churchville section of Northampton Township, Bucks County.

The heavy police response stretched for blocks throughout the quiet community, leaving the neighborhood on edge.

According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, police arrived at a home on Heather Drive near Second Street Pike around 2:15 p.m. Monday.

Investigators say there was a call for a well-being check after a family member had not been heard from since Saturday.

Upon arrival, police say they were confronted by a man inside the home who was armed with a knife.

That led to an hours-long standoff and a barricade situation, Bucks County D.A. Joe Khan said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Video shows a SWAT team breaching the residence, where the suspect was ultimately taken into custody.

Once inside the home, police found three people dead. One victim was found in the kitchen, while the two others were found in a nearby room.

Chopper 6 captured some of the activity through a window in the back of the home, showing a member of the SWAT team banging on what appeared to be a door inside a back room.

This case is being investigated as a homicide, Khan said.

“A veteran prosecutor has already been assigned to lead this investigation in coordination with Northampton Township Police and Bucks County Detectives,” Khan said.

The suspect is in custody on charges related to the assault of a different victim while the homicide investigation is completed, Khan said.

Autopsies on the victims are being conducted on Tuesday.

The names of the victims have not been released pending family notification.

The D.A. praised the “admirable efforts” and “heroic restraint” shown by Northampton Township police and the South Central Emergency Response Team.

“Despite being confronted by an armed individual, under excruciatingly difficult circumstances for roughly five hours in the bitter cold, officers utilized every tactical resource available to take the suspect into custody alive, preventing further tragedy,” Khan said.

He went on to say that this appears to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing danger to the community.

More details will be released in the near future, Khan said, possibly as soon as Wednesday.