Murder suspect apprehended after barricading himself in Winterset church, police say
Pursued by West Des Moines police, a man believed to be connected to a Nebraska double murder barricaded himself in a Winterset church Sunday before surrendering to police, West Des Moines police said.
The man identified as Gage Walter, 27, of Omaha, surrendered without incident, police said.
Sgt. Jason Heintz, spokesman for West Des Moines police, said Walter was in St. Paul Lutheran Church alone. He said he did not know whether Walter had been armed.
Police assisted by the Iowa State Patrol were preparing to take the next steps in the standoff when negotiators succeeded in getting Walter to surrender, Heintz said.
The case stemmed from the deaths of Marceline Teeters, 93, and Linda Walter, 70, of Omaha. A car was stolen from the residence where their bodies were found Saturday, Omaha police said in a Facebook posting.
The Omaha World-Herald reported that relatives identified Walters as the grandson and great-grandson of the women who died. It quoted his father as saying Walters is mentally ill and had been released from jail recently despite the father's warning that Walters was a danger to the community.
Heintz said charges against Walter include possession of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding, and that Winterset police were investigating Walter's entry into the church as a potential burglary.
Omaha police were en route to the church Sunday to investigate, Heintz said.
He said the pursuit began about 7:45 a.m. in West Des Moines when police spotted a car they believed Walter was driving. When they tried to pull him over, he fled, eventually ending up on Highway 92 driving toward Winterset, Heintz said.
Arriving in Winterset, Walter left his car and entered the church at 1120 N. Eighth Ave., Heintz said. He said police do not think Walter has any ties to Winterset.
Police surrounded the church and shut down traffic in the area while negotiating with the man.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Police: Omaha murder suspect surrenders after standoff in Winterset
