An armed man who caused a "soft lockdown" of two Iowa schools has died by suicide, police say.

The man, who has not been identified, was found dead after 6 p.m. Thursday with what Waterloo police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a home in 400 block of Hilltop Road on the city's south side. Police entered the residence after the man stopped communicating with authorities during an hourslong impasse, according to a news release from WPD.

The Register does not typically identify the victims of suicide.

Officers began talking with the man at 1:26 p.m. following a report about a domestic disturbance.

The threat and police presence caused a "soft lockdown" of Hoover Middle School and Lou Henry Elementary School, which are just south of Hilltop Road.

"The initial call indicated that an adult male in the residence was armed and acting in a threatening manner," the release states. "One person was able to leave the residence, leaving the armed male and a teenage male inside. As officers arrived and established communication, they were able to get the teenage male out without incident."

As officers tried to convince the man to leave the home, school was ending about a block away.

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Tara Thomas, a spokeswoman with the Waterloo Community School District, said the "soft lockdown" at Lou Henry and Hoover meant that students were not allowed to leave campus.

But because Hoover and Lou Henry are physically connected, middle school students could be dismissed away from the police presence and suspect, Thomas said. Even though Hoover's exit is in the direction of the "standoff," Lou Henry's exit was on the opposite side of the block. Middle schoolers were allowed to walk through the buildings to leave.

"It was an unfortunate situation, but we have an advantageous way of getting kids out of the school safely," she said.

Maj. Joe Leibold, with the Waterloo police, said that children were not at "immediate risk."

Classes ended for both schools during the incident, but delayed dismissals were implemented to increase safety, Thomas said. She said the majority of the students at the schools walk home.

Instead of middle school students leaving class at 2:45 p.m., many of those 900 students' dismissals were delayed until 3:15 p.m. Students were not allowed to walk home from campus, and parents were able to pick children up at the elementary school exit, Thomas said.

Bus riders at the elementary school were allowed to board at 3:45 p.m. — their normal dismissal time — but walkers and children being picked up had to wait until 4:15 p.m.

Children were allowed to remain on campus later than usual to stay safe, Thomas said. Extra staff were working these altered dismissals to make sure kids properly exited the schools.

"We really appreciate parents' cooperation and understanding. We do anticipate that, once the situation, is resolved, we would allow normal exiting of the building, including walking," she said. "From the moment that we learned from the police that there was a disturbance in the neighborhood, we have kept students safe."

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.

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