Clearlake Police reported late Wednesday that Johnnie Thomas, 31, of Clearlake and Lucerne committed suicide after a lengthy standoff with negotiators and a SWAT team.

CPD received a call at 1:22 p.m. that an armed and suicidal male subject was inside a unit at Cache Creek Apartments with his estranged wife and small child, and was threatening to shoot them.

When officers arrived on the scene they found Thomas' wife outside the apartment. She told police that her husband and 4-year-old daughter were still inside the apartment.

Thomas' wife told police the subject had pointed the shotgun at her and stated he would have to kill her.

She explained to the officers that her husband was despondent over their marital problems and the fact that she had obtained a restraining order against him.

Police negotiated with Thomas, but he refused to come out of the residence. He did agree to release his daughter, and the child was sent out the front door, unharmed.

After Thomas still refused to come out of the apartment, CPD turned the incident over to the Lake County Sheriff's SWAT team and negotiators, who continued attempting to talk Thomas out of the apartment late into the evening.

At 8:30 p.m., SWAT team members entered the apartment after Thomas stopped communicating with negotiators and made it apparent he was going to kill himself.

Once in the apartment, the team found Thomas in the master bathroom with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Rescue personnel dispatched to the scene confirmed his death.

Editor's note: Police don't regularly make public reports on suicides, nor do publications normally cover them, because of their very private nature. However, when suicides are conducted in very public manners, such as in this instance, they are considered newsworthy and are treated like other incidents involving police action.