Police officers ended an hours-long standoff with a parent holding a teacher hostage inside an elementary school in Riverside, US, by storming in and shooting the parent.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the parent, 27-year-old Luvelle Kennon, died in hospital, after being shot by a member of a SWAT team.
Kennon was in a standoff with police for seven hours as he held teacher Linda Montgomery hostage.
She sustained scrapes and abrasions from being dragged into an empty classroom.
The police team reportedly tried to make contact with the man several times over those hours but never heard from the teacher so decided to enter the room.
Kennon reportedly had a daughter attending first grade at the school.
Witnesses say he did not follow the school district's safety procedures at the front desk and, when confronted about it by a male teacher, he hit him in the face, breaking the teacher's nose.
It is not yet clear why Kennon took Montgomery hostage.
Classes at Castle View Elementary School have been cancelled for the rest of the week.