Theodore Steven Kowalzek

Deadly force

When officers escorted former tenants onto Kowalzek's land to retrieve a car, they heard gunfire, which prompted a standoff with Kowalzek that involved multiple police departments. After more than 15 hours, a SWAT team entered the house. Kowalzek began to shoot, and officers returned fire. At first, police weren't sure whether Kowalzek had killed himself or had been struck by officers' gunfire. An autopsy later confirmed that Kowalzed had been fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy. A police dog was also killed in the incident.