UPDATE:  Police say a man who barricaded inside a home in Salem, Mass., was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot early this afternoon. Tthe man's name has not bee released.  An earlier story is below.

Massachusetts state police have deployed a bomb squad in Salem after authorities evacuated neighbors living near a home in which an armed man has barricaded himself.

Mayor Kim Driscoll on Saturday took to Twitter to urge residents to avoid the Meadow Street area until police officers declare it safe.

A police dispatcher declined to comment on reports that residents had reported hearing explosions inside the home.

Trooper Dustin Fitch said a state police bomb squad is assisting Salem police responding to the incident.

The standoff occurred one day after tens of thousands of people flocked into Salem to celebrate Halloween. The visitors participated in parades, ghost tours, performances and more in the town where real witch trials took place in the 1600s.

 

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