Suspected Killer Botches Suicide During SWAT Standoff

"PEORIA, IL — The abduction of a woman by her estranged husband early Monday reached a protracted conclusion Tuesday with the discovery of her body and an ensuing standoff with her alleged killer.

"Phouvone Sophanavong, 45, held police at bay with a gun for more than nine hours in his home at 703 NE Monroe St. that his family apparently has owned for decades. The same residence had been searched Monday night by authorities trying to sort out the disappearance of his wife, Laongdao Phangthong.

"About 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, a police operation that appeared long-stagnant to outside observers burst with a flurry of activity after Sophanavong shot himself in the chest during the course of negotiations with police.

"`He made a decision to potentially end his own life,` Peoria police Chief Steve Settingsgaard said minutes after Sophanavong was rushed from the scene by ambulance.

"The 28-year-old Laotian woman’s body was found about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the north parking deck at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Someone arriving at the hospital recognized her vehicle as one police had been seeking, and hospital security found her body inside.

"Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said Phangthong’s apparent cause of death was at least one gunshot wound. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday."

From pjstar.com....