Barricaded man dies after 4-hour standoff with deputies

LAKE ALFRED, Fla. – A man is dead following a four-hour standoff with law enforcement that ended with a SWAT team blowing a hole in the side of his central Florida house.

Polk County Sheriff’s officials say deputies were serving a search warrant at the Lake Alfred home Wednesday afternoon when they found 28-year-old Kevin Johnson hiding behind a fake wall in a bedroom.

An incident report says he refused to come out, pointed a gun at deputies and fired. Deputies returned fire. A SWAT team was called in. Just before 6 p.m., authorities blew a small hole in the house and found Johnson dead.

Deputies say Johnson’s mother was arrested after refusing to co-operate with deputies. She’s accused of tampering with evidence.

Johnson was white. Three deputies — two white and one black — are on administrative leave, pending an investigation.