Bethany Police find man dead after standoff

BETHANY, Okla. (AP) â€“ Bethany Police find a man who was suffering from muscular dystrophy and severe depression dead following a two-hour standoff.<br/><br/>Officers were called to a home about 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13th 2005, 5:41 am

By: News On 6

BETHANY, Okla. (AP) â€“ Bethany Police find a man who was suffering from muscular dystrophy and severe depression dead following a two-hour standoff.

Officers were called to a home about 7 p.m. Tuesday after a report that Rodney Stehr, 37, had assaulted his mother and forced her out of the home.

Stehr was on the porch with an assault rifle and a knife in his back pocket when officers arrived, police Chief Neal Troutman said. Stehr told officers that the gun wasn't loaded.

"Officers tried to talk to him," Troutman said. "But he got scared and went back inside."

Troutman said officers heard a shot fired moments after Stehr went back in the house.

Bethany's special response team tried to communicate with Stehr, but he disconnected the phones in the house, Troutman said.

After sunset, officers entered the house and found Stehr had shot himself.

Troutman said Stehr was depressed and under the influence of alcohol and pain medication when the standoff occurred.

John Stehr, the gunman's brother, said his brother had been living at the home with their mother and two young girls. He said his brother was suffering from severe depression.

"He was just very upset and depressed," John Stehr said.