2 found dead in apartment, woman held at knifepoint during standoff in Atlanta's West End
Couple killed, police suspect victim's son
Henrietta Russell and Marvin Spencer were found dead in an apartment on Atlanta's West End. Police believe Russell's son is their primary suspect, and say he also held a stranger at knifepoint in the apartment during an hours-long SWAT standoff.
ATLANTA - Two people were found dead, and another woman was shaken up after a welfare check turned into a standoff in Atlanta’s West End.
It started around 2:50 p.m. at an apartment complex off Oglethorpe Avenue near Evans Street.
What we know:
According to Atlanta Police Department Homicide Commander Lt. Andrew Smith, officers were dispatched to investigate a report of a person threatening to harm himself and others at the Oglethorpe Place Apartments. When they arrived, officers could smell a foul odor coming from the apartment and were met by a man who refused to let them inside.
2 found dead after Atlanta standoff
A woman and a man are dead, and one person is in custody after a hostage situation at an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta.
Police brought in a hostage negotiator, who was eventually able to talk the man out after several hours. The man eventually surrendered to authorities. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with self-inflicted cuts.
This was also when officers learned the man had been holding a woman at knifepoint inside the apartment. Lt. Smith said that the woman had no relationship with anyone inside the apartment and had met the armed man earlier in the day at the nearby West End MARTA station.
When officers were able to check the apartment, they found two people who medics would pronounce dead at the scene. Lt. Smith only identified the two as "one male, approximately 80 years of age, and another female, 40 years of age."
Police are investigating their deaths as murders.
Family members of the victims further identified them as Marvin Spencer and his girlfriend, Henrietta Russell. On Saturday, Spencer's daughter told FOX 5 Atlanta Friday was her father's 76th birthday.
Neil Russell (Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators say the armed man was Henrietta's 44-year-old son, Neil Russell. He was charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. He's being held at the Fulton County Jail.
Lt. Smith could not immediately say how long the two people had been dead inside the apartment. He told FOX 5 they had paid their rent just a week earlier.
What we don't know:
The causes of death for the two people found inside the apartment have not been specified.
He reportedly is from Alabama and has a criminal record, but police could not immediately provide details.
The APD’s Aggravated Assault Unit and Homicide Unit are investigating.
Couple found dead inside barricaded home; family responds
What they're saying:
Maria Spencer, the daughter of one of the victims, spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta. She said she knew something was wrong when she couldn't get hold of her father on his birthday.
"I called him yesterday around 8:15 in the morning, it went directly to voicemail," she explained.
When she couldn't get a hold of her dad she called his girlfriend, Henrietta.
"I got an answer. It was a male. He stated that he was Henrietta's son," she said. "I talked to him [the suspect] for a brief moment, and he literally just lied in my face, so I'm ready to see him in court."
The Source: The Atlanta Police Department's Homicide Commander, Lt. Andrew Smith provided the details for this article.