Man in his 70s sets fire to Lenexa home, kills himself as police try to intervene

Multiple law enforcement agencies and fire crews responded to an emergency at a Lenexa home Saturday night when a man in his 70s set fire to his house and then fatally shot himself in front of police.

The incident happened about midnight Saturday in the 15300 block of West 84th Street, according to Lenexa police.

The man was first spotted by a neighbor, who saw the man outside his house screaming “Fire.” The man also fired a few shots from a handgun.

Police officers from Lenexa, Shawnee and the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the scene.

Officers tried to convince the man to put down the gun, the neighbor said.

The man, however, instead shot himself, said Master Police Officer Danny Chavez, a spokesman for the Lenexa Police Department.

Firefighters responded to the house about 12:25 a.m. and quickly extinguished the blaze. Some fire investigators remained at the scene Sunday morning, examining the damage to the house.

This story was originally published August 19, 2018 at 1:05 PM.