Man dies from deputy gunfire after torching home during SWAT standoff

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An armed man who barricaded himself in a home before torching it in east Harris County actually died when he was confronted by deputies and not in the fire, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies initially believed the man identified as Dane Norris was dead when the his house went up in flames and burned to the ground, but they were unable to find a body. The man later died in another standoff with deputies.

Law enforcement first responded to the incident after being alerted of a 911 call by residents who said a family member was threatening them with a weapon.

The standoff started Friday night around 6:30 p.m. when deputies say the armed suspect assaulted his sister.

Deputies said they came under fire when they arrived to the 6800 block of FM 1942.

After SWAT arrived, they set a perimeter around the home and tried to contact the suspect multiple times. Norris, who deputies said was 41 years old, refused to surrender and continued shooting.

The man barricaded himself in the house and it later erupted in flames, according to Harris County Sheriff's Lt. Robert Schields.

Deputies said they saw the fire begin to spread from the attic, where they believed the suspect was. They first believed he died in the fire because a body wasn't recovered from the rubble.

But, around 10 a.m. on Saturday, employees at a nearby small airport said they saw a man walking on the runway carrying a rifle.

According to officials, the man later emerged from behind some trees that separated the airport from his home and raised his rifle. That's when one deputy fired multiple rounds at the suspect.

He was taken to a hospital and later confirmed dead.

Schields also said they had a separate encounter with the suspect on July 10 involving a terrorist threat call where deputies recovered some weapons.

The man was confined to a mental health unit for several days after that incident before he was released, Schields said.