A Riverhead man who had a four-hour standoff with police at his Doris Avenue house today has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his wife.
Suffolk County Police said Robert Brown, 65, fatally shot his wife Sara, 71, inside the couple’s home at 20 Doris Avenue.
Brown will be arraigned tomorrow in Riverhead Town Justice Court on a charge second-degree murder, police said in a press release tonight.
Riverhead Town Police responded to the house at approximately 9:20 a.m. after receiving reports of a man carrying a handgun, according to the release.
Suffolk County Police Hostage Negotiation Team and Emergency Service Section officers responded to the house where Brown had barricaded himself. After a nearly four-hour standoff with police, officers knocked down the front door of the house and Brown was taken into custody at approximately 2 p.m., police said.
Inside the house, officers found Brown’s wife dead from a gunshot wound.
Brown was taken to Suffolk County Police Headquarters in Yaphank where he was charged with murder in the second degree. He will be held overnight at Riverhead Town Police Headquarters and will be arraigned Aug. 28 in Riverhead Justice Court.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person
charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a
court of law.
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