Officials identify barricaded man killed in explosion

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. – The Connecticut medical examiner’s office has confirmed the identity of man who barricaded himself on his property before dying in an explosion that also injured nine police officers.

The agency said Monday that testing showed the man was 60-year-old John Sayre and that he died of explosive and thermal injuries. Medical examiners couldn’t determine if his death was an accident, suicide or homicide.

A regional SWAT team responded to Sayre’s North Haven home on May 2 on a report of a barricaded man. Officials said Sayre’s wife told police that she had escaped the property after being held hostage for several days. She wasn’t hurt.

A barn behind the house exploded during the standoff. The nine officers survived their injuries.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.