Death Following Domestic Dispute Ruled a Suicide

The 65-year-old man who barricaded himself in his house following a domestic dispute Dec. 28 apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A representative of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told Patch Thursday that the death of Richard W. Phelps had been ruled a suicide.  

around 2:22 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, after his wife called 911 about a domestic dispute, according to a press release from the . She said that he had guns in the house and that she had heard a gunshot.

Some 70 police officers, including members of the regional emergency response team, descended on Partridge Lane, evacuating neighbors or asking them to go to their basements while they communicated with Phelps using a bullhorn.

After trying to reach Phelps several times, police eventually broke into the home, where they found that he had died. 

According to an obituary published in the Chicago Tribune Monday, Jan. 2, Phelps leaves behind his wife, two sons, three grandchildren and a sister. The family will hold a private service; memorials may be made to the Department of Mining Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 225 McNutt Hall, Rolla, MO, 6509-0450.