4 Dead After Hostage Situation in Aurora, Colorado: Police

Authorities say four people are dead after a gunman held three people hostage early Saturday morning in Aurora, Colo.

Police shot and killed the gunman when they entered the home, near the 16000 block of East Ithaca Place, after roughly six hours of negotiations had failed to produce any results, according to KUSA. One person was able to escape the home by jumping from a second story window and alerted the police, who arrived on the scene around 3:00 a.m. Neighbors also called the police around that time and reported shots fired.

Police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson told reporters the gunman was killed during a shootout with SWAT officers around 9:00 a.m. Three victims appear to have been killed beforehand.

Homes were evacuated in the area for safety as roads in the area were closed down. Names and ages of those involved have not been made public.

"We're just getting in there with our crime scene detectives, so obviously we'll have to determine if it was our rounds or his rounds," Carlson said. "This is a big investigation, and a lot is entailed."

Aurora has been in the headlines since Aug. 8, 2012 when a shooter killed 12 people and wounded 58 more at a movie theater in the town, sparking a national debate over gun control.