UPDATE: 4 things we know, 3 we don't in murder-suicide standoff

A welfare check for a bleeding woman on a Bethlehem Township lawn Friday quickly unfolded into an eight-hour standoff with a gunman firing what's believed to be a semi-automatic rifle at police and terrifying neighbors.

The standoff ended when Justin Erik Kephart was found dead from what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Joseph Sokolofski.

He's believed to have killed his mother, although the coroner had not arrived to confirm his death or hers when Sokoloski briefed the news media just after 10 p.m. Friday.

Events unfolded quickly after 1:30 p.m. when township police were summoned to 1543 Dennis St. where Kephart, 36, lived with his grandmother, Rosemarie Meixell, according to police.

Police were called to check on the welfare of a woman who lay bleeding in Meixell's yard. When police arrived, Kephart started shooting at them, Sokolofski said.

Several local departments were called to back up local police. Bethlehem brought in an armored vehicle, which police used to direct Kephart's fire away from a pinned down Bethlehem Township police officer so he could flee.

"We were able to get the officer out," Sokolofski said. "We were not able to render aid to the female."

About 3:30 p.m., Kephart's father, Dale Clark Kephart, said he received a cell phone call from his son, who told him he had killed his "mom" and "a cop." That information came from a criminal complaint prepared for Kephart in the event he would be charged with attempted homicide for shooting at police.

No police officers were shot during the standoff, Sokolofski said.

"At that point, the Special Emergeny Response Team was summoned to deal with the male who was inside the house," Sokolofski said.

Police established a perimeter and began negotiating with Kephart, and he periodically continued to fire at police, Sokolofski said. Bystanders could hear police communicating with Kephart through a bullhorn. They also heard blasts and gunshots.

A police officer who had Kephart in sight noticed he hadn't moved for quite some time Friday night. That's when police finally moved in and found him dead about 9:45 p.m., Sokolofski said.

Although the grandmother lived with Kephart, she was not home during the standoff, Sokolofski said.

"Someone had spoken to her. I'm not sure where she was," he said.

It's unclear what prompted the standoff, Sokolofski said. He said the weapon was believed to be a semi-automatic rifle.

A photo of Kephart on his Facebook page shows what appears to be Kephart at age 12 holding an assault rifle. Another entry appears to show his support for Eric Frein, the man who shot a state trooper and kept police hunting him for weeks in the Poconos.

"Go Frien. (sic) Keep making a f--k of all those OINKERS," he wrote on his page.

The standoff forced neighbors to remain locked in their homes for hours. Residents who weren't home at the time were forced to stay away. Roads were barricaded for blocks around the standoff site.

Neighbor Doug Wallace said he was able to get to the bleeding woman but couldn't render aid because shots started ringing out. Other neighbors could hear bullets whizzing past them blocks away from the standoff site.

The blasts and shots continued periodically for hours after the initial police response until all went quiet and the barricades and roadblocks were eventually taken away.

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Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.