A standoff on Columbus Avenue Wednesday morning began with an eviction notification, according to Stratford police.

They said they believe the man at the center of it killed himself and his dog.

Police said they responded there after a call came in around 9:18 a.m. from a marshal who arrived at a home between Honeyspot Road and Orange Street.

“This residence was being served for eviction. The marshal said he heard two shots,” Capt. Robert Burroughs told News 12.

Police weren’t sure if the person inside had shot himself or someone else, so they closed off the block to keep people at a safe distance. The K-9 units and the SWAT team were also brought in.

“They had vests, rifles and the van, and then I started asking other people what was going on,” recalled Jackie Rivera, who lives on Columbus Avenue.

“I didn't know what was going on. I was peeking through the window. I saw the drone. It's pretty—it’s pretty scary,” stated Brian Toxto, who lives next door to the house involved.

SWAT team members loaded into their vehicle and approached the home just before 11 a.m. Shortly after, police used a megaphone to try and make contact with anyone inside. Then, News 12 heard three pops. Neighbors nearby thought they might have been shots. Burroughs told News 12 the sounds were from police breaching a window to get a look inside the home.

“We get a drone in there to get eyes on it for the safety of officers. They confirmed he was on the floor and not moving, so that's when we breached the door and confirmed he was lying on the ground,” Burroughs said. “It looks like it was a self-inflicted wound, but we're not confirmed with that yet.”

Burroughs stated that a dog was fatally shot beside the man.

“I think that's very sad honestly. And as an advocate for mental health there was probably a lot more going on there,” Rivera said.

Court records show a housing case for that address involving relatives with the judge ruling in favor of the landlord a couple months ago. The order stated, “The court did not find that the tenant failed to pay rent on time, violated the lease or committed a nuisance. The court merely found the lease expired or the landlord wanted their property back due to no fault of the tenant. The landlord used the eviction process to obtain possession under the law in order to avoid confusion and liability as to who had the right to possess the subject property.”

The final step in the process occurred last week, with the court issuing a summary process execution for possession, allowing a state marshal to move forward with the eviction.