Police had closed off one and a half blocks surrounding the residence and evacuated families in the immediate area.

Ray Nunnallee, a neighbor, was on his front lawn when police approached him.

“I just went outside to pick up my paper and the police told me to get out of here,” Nunnallee said. “I didn’t know what was happening. So I sat up here to watch and look out for my wife.”

Police reassured Nunnallee his wife was fine and that she too had been evacuated by way of the alley behind their home.

Nunnallee had moved to a yard on the corner of 35th and Avenue R as Temple SWAT members took over the normally peaceful neighborhood.

“We don’t have much trouble around here. We see a patrol car occasionally but not too often. Nothing like this,” he said, pointing to the multitude of police cars, an armored vehicle and the mobile incident command center.

Police had received a call about 9:45 a.m., which they thought was from a neighbor, saying that a man was in his yard with a gun. They later found out the man involved in the standoff was the caller.

Officers arrived to find the man had gone back into his house and was breaking windows and throwing things, said Sgt. Brad Hunt, Temple Police Department public information officer.

As officers set up a perimeter, they heard a noise inside the house that sounded like a gunshot, Hunt said.

Officers were able to contact the resident who told them he had broken natural gas lines in his house, causing a leak.

Negotiators called the man on the telephone and negotiations continued for about two hours.

Shortly after noon, negotiations were successful, with the man coming out his front door voluntarily, and being taken into custody, Hunt said.

While in police custody, the man was taken by Scott & White EMS to Scott & White Memorial Hospital for evaluation.

Later in the afternoon, as more information became available, police learned that the man did not have a firearm.

No charges had been filed late Wednesday.

tcooper@temple-telegram.com