Update... Stand-off in Sun Valley over

Man shot to death in Reno standoffBy SCOTT SONNER


RENO, Nev.—A 34-hour police standoff with a man who barricaded himself in his Sun Valley home ended with his death late Monday afternoon but investigators were not sure whether he was killed by officers during an exchange of gunfire or shot himself.

Dale Mattson, 45, was found dead in his home about 4:30 p.m. He apparently died from a gunshot wound, Assistant Washoe County Sheriff Marshall Emerson said.

"We are going to follow protocol as if it was an officer-involved shooting," Emerson told reporters during a news conference at the scene.

Mattson had repeatedly fired shots at SWAT team members since he had holed up in his home about 6 a.m. on Sunday after sheriff's deputies tried to serve him with an arrest warrant for allegedly threatening to bomb a neighbor's home.

Emerson said he initially pulled a handgun on the deputies, who were able to take it from him, but Mattson grabbed a shotgun and fired at those officers before barricading himself in the house.

No officers were hurt.

During one exchange of gunfire Monday afternoon, Mattson disappeared from view. Authorities used robots with cameras to search the home and observed a number of weapons.

SWAT team members, hostage negotiators and other tactical teams had worked through the night Sunday and into Monday morning attempting to make contact with Mattson to resolve the situation peacefully, Emerson said.

"We never did communicate with him verbally," he said.

---

---

Mattson's neighbors told the Reno Gazette-Journal on Monday that he had a troubled past and received frequent visits from sheriff's deputies.

"The only thing I hear is he lost his mom and his dad, and after the deaths he went a little crazy," Carlos Zelaya told the newspaper.

"He has mental issues," added John Buzzero, who lives in the area and said his older brother was friends with Mattson.