Killer gunman shoots himself after high-speed police chase

A gunman killed seven people and took hostages after a high-speed car chase through an American city before killing himself.

Rodrick Dantzler, 34, shot himself in the head in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after a stand-off with police yesterday. His three hostages were released unharmed.

Police said they did not have a motive for the killings - at two homes - but his daughter and an ex-girlfriend were among the victims. Five adults and two children were killed.

A manhunt for Dantzler began after four people were found dead in one home and three were discovered in another on the other side of town.

Local police chief Kevin Belk said: "We believe there were prior relationships with at least one person at each location, so we think there were some difficulties."

Following the discovery of the bodies, Dantzler led police on a chase. At one point he crossed a wide grassy strip in the middle of the highway and drove the wrong way down the other side while more than a dozen police cars chased him. Mr Belk said Dantzler crashed the car while driving down an embankment into a wooded area of the highway.

Two other people were shot and wounded when Dantzler fired at police during the chase.

One man was injured in what Mr Belk described as a "road rage" attack after Dantzler fired through the rear window. A woman was hit in the arm in a separate shooting.

After the crash Dantzler took hostages in an apartment. Dozens of armed police cordoned off a suburb near a small lake and shut down a nearby interstate highway.

Mr Belk said he was disappointed at the outcome of the stand-off: "At the time the incident occurred, he was talking about coming out, giving himself up. Obviously, he decided at the last moment to fire the gun."

Dantzler was released from state prison in 2005 after serving time for assault. A spokesman for the prison system said he had not been under state supervision since then.

Neighbours said police congregated at Dantzler's home a few miles away after the shootings. One, Sonia Bergers, said Dantzler lived with a woman she assumed was his wife and their daughter, a girl who appeared to be aged about 10.

Lisa Schenden lives with her husband and their children near the home where four people were killed. She said the homeowners were a couple whose daughter had a child with Dantzler. Ms Schenden said she saw Dantzler and his daughter drive to the house earlier in the day. "Just last night, my kids went over there swimming, and I went over with them," she said.