Murder charge laid after St. John's standoff

Police in St. John's charged a man with first-degree murder on Saturday following an armed standoff and a slaying on aquietstreet.

Trevor Pardy, 34, was charged and held for a psychiatric assessment in a St. John's hospital. His case is expected to be called againin provincial court on Monday.

Pardyis charged with first-degree murder in the death of a woman, 30, who was found lying on Boggy Hall Place around 1 a.m. NT Saturday.

The woman died after being rushed to hospital.

Police were called after neighbours reported hearing gunshots on the street, a quiet cul-de-sac near Topsail Road in the city's west end.

Police are not commenting on what caused the woman's death, or on her relationship with Pardy.

The force, however, noted thata firearm was recovered at the end of a four-hour standoff. The RNC's tactics and rescue unit took the man into custody around 5:30 a.m. without incident, police said.

During the standoff, residents of several neighbouring homes were evacuated.

The police had closed Topsail Road from Columbus Drive to Colville Street during the standoff. A smaller section of the busy thoroughfare remained closedlater while officers collected evidence.