Man wanted for murder in standoff with law enforcement in Panama City neighborhood
PANAMA CITY BEACH (FOX 13) - A man wanted in a homicide investigation out of Walton County, Florida was in a standoff with police in Panama City, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
The incident was initially reported Tuesday morning as an active shooter situation at Briarwood Apartments on Beck Avenue.
Kevin Robert Holroyd, 49, has barricaded himself inside a unit in the apartment complex, the sheriff's office said.
The Bay County Sheriff's Office confirmed multiple shots had been fired during the incident, but there had been "no shots from the suspect or [law enforcement] in the past hour," just after 4:30 p.m.
Social media users posted photos and videos of SWAT officers and a large law enforcement presence along Beck Avenue, on the city's west side. Several gunshots were audible in a live Facebook feed from the scene around 1:30 p.m.
The Bay County Sheriff's Office said its bomb squad tried to breach the apartment's front door with an "explosive technique," but Holroyd had barricaded it from the inside.
Footage shows Panama City police and Bay County deputies on the scene, along with the Florida Highway Patrol and even the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Streets in the area were being blocked off.
The Panama City News Herald reports that at least one grocery store and two nearby schools were being locked down as a precaution.
Stay with FOX 13 for any updates.
VIDEO (listen for gunfire at about 8:50):