Police were called to a Vermillion, SD home in the early morning hours of Christmas day for a domestic dispute that escalated to a hostage situation and stand off.

Police arrived at about 1am Tuesday morning and quickly determined that the man inside was armed and had two children hostage.

The man released the children about 4:30 this morning unharmed.

Negotiators tried to keep the lines of communication open before entering the home at about 1:30 this afternoon to find the man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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