AN armed man barricaded himself inside a Valencia province apartment before turning the gun on himself.
Police formed a cordon on Calle Federico Garcia Lorca in Alaquas on Sunday lunchtime after getting reports of a family dispute in which firearms could be involved.
The man was said to be an experienced competitive shooter and had two weapons in his possession.
He barricaded himself inside a room but the police managed to get his wife and two children unharmed out of the flat.
The incident followed an argument with his family.
A two-hour stand-off ensued with a police negotiator trying to get him to surrender.
Specialist armed Policia Nacional officers arrived at 3.00 pm after the negotiations came to nothing and a single shot rang out, after the man fired a fatal bullet into his chest.
Alaquas mayor, Toni Saura, who was at the scene, said: “We know this was an isolated incident because the deceased did not have a police record.”
“There are many people who have been greatly affected by the pandemic on a mental level,” Saura added.