A standoff between a hostage-taker and the local police in a San Bernardino County home resulted in the death of the suspect as well as one of his hostages, reports indicated on Thursday.

Authorities received a call from a man around 1:22 p.m. on Wednesday reporting that his wife and kids, a 4-year-old girl and a baby, were held hostage by a male cousin at their house in Highland, California.

Like Us on Facebook

Deputies who arrived on the scene Wednesday afternoon found the suspect, armed with a shotgun, barricaded inside the home with his three hostages and had attempted to negotiate with him both in English and Spanish, as the suspect was believed to be Hispanic.

Defiant, the suspect did not respond to negotiators' offers and threatened to shoot the hostages as well as the deputies, leaving them no other option but to intervene.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's office spokesperson Jodi Miller said deputies were able to shoot and kill the suspect an hour after authorities responded.

Miller, however, did not give further details about the incident.

Upon entering the house from the back, members of the SWAT team found the woman, who was not named, with a gunshot wound and she was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.

"The gunshot wound suffered by the victim is consistent with the weapon that the suspect had in his possession," officers stated.

However, she did not survive as medical personnel later pronounced her dead.

The two young hostages were rescued unscathed and reunited with their father.

Investigations led by the sheriff's homicide unit are underway.

Residents in nearby houses, who were evacuated when the SWAT team converged on the house, said they had never seen a similar hostage situation before.

Highland is a city in San Bernardino County, Southern California, 66 miles east of Los Angeles with about 53,000 residents. 

TagsHostage, Southern California, SWAT, highland, california, stand off, Hostage