Update: Le Center standoff suspect commits suicide following domestic incident

A man shot himself after a standoff with police in Le Center following a domestic assault incident, the Le Sueur County Sheriff said Monday.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the domestic situation at approximately 9:19 p.m. Monday at the 300 block of S Cordova Ave, where a 37-year-old woman reported she’d been strangled by her boyfriend, Michael Lee Elie, 38.  The victim reported Elie had a handgun and threatened to kill her, and any officer who arrived at the home.

The woman’s two children, ages 12 and 4, were in the house at the time of the incident, and ran upstairs to hide, according to a news release from the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office.

Officers were able to reach Elie by phone, but police say he refused to exit the home, resulting in a standoff.  Officers were able to convince Ellie to allow the children to exit the house.  The children were met by police, who escorted them to their mother, says the press release.

Police entered the residence at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, where they found Elie in the lower level of the home dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Early Monday morning, the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office used social media to ask the public to stay clear of the area where the standoff occurred.