Cops: Gunbattle ends 14-hour standoff in pharmacy

By NBC News and msnbc.com news services

ALLIANCE, Neb. -- A 14-hour standoff with a gunman at a pharmacy ended withthe suspect's death, the Nebraska State Patrol said early Wednesday.

The dead suspect was identifed by policeas 27-year-old Andres Gonzales, of Alliance.

A police statement did notsay how Gonzales died. However,the death was confirmed following a gunbattle inside the pharmacy with Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team members. None of the SWAT officers was injured.

Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Lance Rogers said earlier that the gunman was wanted in connection with the shooting and wounding of two city police officers and a state patrol officer. None of their injuries is life-threatening.

The gunman also held a hostage for hours Tuesday in a western Nebraska drugstore. The hostage, identified Wednesday by Collins as pharmacy owner Charles Lierk, 62, of Alliance. Lierk managed to escape but was shot while getting away, Collins said. Lierk was taken to a local hospital where he was in stable condition, she said.

Rogers also said police found a body Tuesday in a nearby home but declined to say whether it is related to the standoff. Police don't know how that person died, Rogers said.

'Best hometown in America'The standoff began Tuesday morning when the gunman entered the Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts in the center of downtown Alliance, a city of about 8,600 people.

"When we woke this morning in the best hometown in America, little did anyone in our wildest dreams foresee what would transpire today," Mayor Fred Feldges said.

Authorities said that officers responded after an apparent botched robbery.

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Cops: Gunbattle ends 14-hour standoff in pharmacy