Suspect, hostage dead as South Bay standoff ends in shootout

A three-hour standoff with police Monday afternoon in San Jose ended when officers shot and killed the suspect and discovered the body of a hostage dead inside a home.

“The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene,” said San Jose police spokesman Officer Albert Morales. “When officers searched the residence, they did locate a female inside the residence.”

It was not immediately known what happened, but a neighbor said she heard a gunfight.

The incident began around 2:15 p.m. when the man forced the woman into a house on the 4400 block of Camden Avenue, Morales said.

At around 5 p.m., the man came out of the residence armed with “at least one handgun,” Morales said at a news conference Monday night, and police and the suspect both opened fire.

The suspect was killed and an officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and was taken to a local hospital, Morales said.

Diane Ayala, who lives on the block, said a little before 5 p.m., she heard about 20 rounds of different calibers. That’s when she hit the ground, she said, to protect herself from gunfire.

“I didn’t see anything but sure heard the gunfight,” said Ayala, 63. “I’m no spring chicken, but I know what gunfire sounds like.”

The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident were under investigation, but Morales said the suspect and the woman knew each other.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @JennaJourno