Leesburg man shoots 2 at wife's home, then himself

A Leesburg man entered a Loudoun County home early Tuesday and shot his estranged wife and another man, authorities said, then barricaded himself inside the residence for several hours before taking his own life.

Barry L. Gates, 45, entered his wife's home about 2 a.m. and fired several shots, hitting her and the other man, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday afternoon. Authorities did not identify the victims.

The injured man and woman were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell. The man was described as in guarded condition, but Troxell said he and the woman did not appear to have life-threatening injuries.

The incident unfolded in the pre-dawn hours at a house in the 3900 block of Irish Corner Road, a rural part of Loudoun near Lovettsville.

The victims fled to different houses in the neighborhood after being shot, and then sheriff's deputies were called. The gunman locked himself inside the home. A team of negotiators tried to persuade him to surrender, Troxell said.

About 6 a.m., after the man stopped responding to their entreaties, deputies entered the house and found the man dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Troxell said.