Steve RansonChurchill County Sheriff Ben Trotter, right, confirms with a SWAT officer from the Lyon County Sheriff's Officer before the team entered residence looking for a man who had allegedly shot his former girlfriend.
A Fallon man suspected of shooting his former girlfriend Friday afternoon apparently shot himself before a Lyon County Sheriff's SWAT team entered a Rice Road home shortly after 5 p.m.
Officers discovered the body of 56-year-old J.B. Williams, who allegedly shot Leslie Come-Bowen, in the front part of the house. Churchill County Sheriff Ben Trotter said Williams shot her with a .22 caliber handgun, the same weapon Trotter believes Williams used on himself.
Trotter said the CCSO received a call at 12:55p.m. of a the shooing at 2120 Rice Road.
Trotter said Come-Bowen was taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno by Care Flight with a non-life threatening bullet wound. Banner Churchill Community Hospital paramedics arrived on the scene to stabilize the woman before she was flown to Reno. Paramedics also returned the site as events unfolded.
Earlier in the day at about 11:30 a.m, Trotter said Williams came to the woman's house looking for her, so he could retrieve some personal property. Trotter said he believes the woman is a former girlfriend.
A negotiations team tried unsuccessfully to contact Williams on both the residence phone and his cellphone. LCSO Lt. Rob Hall said the negations team called at least 20 times. Before the SWAT team arrived, Trotter said the CCSO also attempted at least five calls to Williams.
"We had hoped this would have ended peacefully, but it was up to him," said Trotter.
Trotter said the CCSO will stay at the scene treating the incident as a criminal case. As the county's coroner, Trotter will also determine the cause and time of Williams' death.
"We'll be on site for the night," Totter said.
The SWAT team arrived at the scene after receiving a request from the CCSO. Lt. Bill Ortiz, commander of the SWAT team, said nine officers were in place within two hours. At 4:30 p.m. an entry team moved toward the residence, and 25 minutes later, officers shot tear gas canisters around the house's perimeter, trying to force Williams out. Before they entered the property, deputies had reported someone was opening and closing a curtain and playing music by changing the volume.
Ortiz had also hoped for a different outcome.
"We tried to make contact with him as best as we could," he added.
For the next 10 minutes, negotiators continually called Williams' two phones and left messages. Officers also reported seeing someone at the front entrance looking out the window.
At about 5:20 p.m., the SWAT team shot eight rounds of gas canisters into the house and entered the building. That's when they found Williams'' body.
