UPDATE: APD confirms August Abbott Loop standoff ended in murder-suicide

APD spokesperson Renee Oistad confirms that the Aug. 11 shooting at the 7600-block of Rancho Drive was a murder-suicide case.

She said that 49-year-old Earnest Lewis Jr. was the suspect, while 51-year-old Debra Badger was the victim.

At this time, Oistad cannot confirm if Badger was being held hostage; however, both individuals died of a gunshot wound.

In an earlier report, APD confirmed that they were a boyfriend-girlfriend couple.

Following last week's standoff and shooting at the 7600-block of Rancho Drive, Anchorage police release the identities of the two bodies discovered within the residence.

APD public information officer, Renee Oistad, confirms the deceased to be Earnest Lewis Jr., 49, and Debra Badger, 51. She says they were a boyfriend-girlfriend couple.

Oistad says police are still investigating the motive of the shooting; hence, the department will not be releasing any more case details, currently.

Following Friday morning's standoff at the 7600-block of Rancho Drive, Anchorage police now confirm that the bodies of the adult male suspect and the adult female individual were located in the bedroom, near a gun, according to an APD Nixle alert.

APD spokesperson, MJ Thim, said, "The cause of death appears to be from a gunshot."

Police are not releasing the identifies of the deceased, until they are able to contact next-of-kin, first.

Thim said the Homicide Unit is on scene, and investigators are

looking for suspects, at this point.

Following the deployment of smoke and a police rover, Anchorage police confirmed a suspect involved in a standoff in Abbott Loop has been found dead inside a residence on Rancho Drive.

Along with the deceased male, who has not yet been identified, police also said the body of a woman was also found inside the home.

Anchorage police spokesperson, MJ Thim, could not confirm the exact nature of the deaths of the two people, or if the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide. He only said it is currently a "death investigation," though homicide units are handling the case.

A neighbor told Channel 2 early Friday that the man involved in the standoff lived at the residence. The neighbor also said they believed the deceased female lived there as well; however, APD has not confirmed this.

A police spokesperson also said that residents in the area, who were previously prevented from returning home while authorities dealt with the situation, were able to return to their homes as of press time.

Thim said this was an "isolated and contained incident," and that the department is not looking for any further suspects at this time.

Police had been on the scene since receiving reports of shots fired around 5 a.m. Friday.

Anchorage Police said SWAT teams are deploying gas in the area of the standoff at the 7600-block of Rancho Drive. A text alert from the department said residents "should be advised of possible impacts."

Two people are said to be barricaded in a residence in Abbott Loop as the Anchorage Police Dept. responds to what they're calling a standoff incident there.

In a Nixle sent out Friday morning, officials only said there was a police presence near Lore Road and Rancho Drive. Lore Road was closed on the east end and west end at Hacienda as of 7 a.m.

However, MJ Thim, a spokesperson for the police department, said at the scene that the situation is confirmed to be a standoff.

Around 11 p.m. Thursday, emergency responders received a report of a suspicious individual knocking on the doors of homes in the area, he said.

That person turned out to be a man who's reportedly a resident in the area.

Just a few hours later, APD received another call, this time requesting a welfare check on the man.

He is currently refusing to come out of an Abbott Loop residence on the 7600-block of Rancho Drive. An unnamed woman is believed to be in the home as well, according to APD, though it is unclear if she is also refusing to leave the home or if she is being held against her will.

Police said multiple shots have been fired at this point. Crisis negotiators said they've tried to intervene and get the man to come out of the home, but have been unsuccessful thus far.

Some residents have been evacuated.

APD asks that people please avoid the area for the time being.