GENEVA TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A man who barricaded himself in a home in Geneva Township in Van Buren County is in custody after a standoff that began nearly 12 hours earlier.
Police tell FOX 17 that the man inside the home had made threats to "an Allegan County elected official" before initiating the standoff.
The home is in the 3400 block of County Road 681 in Geneva Township. Michigan State Police told FOX 17 deputies went to the residence of a 41-year-old man around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning after a complaint was filed. During the first encounter with the man, police say he was uncooperative and started acting aggressive. He brandished what police described as "a long gun" and reportedly fired one shot at the ground. He then barricaded himself in the home.
Police say the man didn't aim the weapon at anyone at the scene.
Several times throughout the standoff, the gunman and the police exchanged gunfire. Once, police say, shots were fired at officers as they tried to approach the house. No officers were hurt, and it's unclear at this time if the man was injured.
Family members of the barricaded man allegedly told police that he had recently purchased explosives. The MSP bomb squad is on scene as a precaution.
