Man faces attempted murder charges after standoff

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A 27-year-old man who barricaded himself inside his South Mountain Avenue home today was arrested on charges that include attempted aggravated murder of two Ashland police officers.

Benjamin Kwiatkowski surrendered to police at about 1:30 p.m. today after a standoff that lasted more than eight hours and involved Ashland, Talent and Phoenix police officers and the Medford police SWAT team.

Kwiatkowski fired a rifle at two officers as they knocked on his door at about 5:30 a.m., said Lt. Corey Falls with the Ashland Police Department.

The officers were not injured in the incident, he said. They were responding to a 9-1-1 call received at 5:15 a.m. about a fight at the house, Falls said.

When the officers knocked on the back door of the basement of the house, Kwiatkowski fired a shot through the wall, about a foot above the officers' heads, according to police.

"As they were knocking and saying, 'police, police,' the shot was fired," Falls said.

Kwiatkowski was arrested on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from that shot.

For a fight that reportedly occurred before officers arrived, Kwiatkowski was arrested on a charge of second-degree assault. He may also be charged with harassment and disorderly conduct, Falls said.

According to police, Kwiatkowski hit Talent resident Daryl Hickman, 23, with a baseball bat at the home before officers arrived.

Hickman, whose girlfriend lives at the South Mountain Avenue home, had "some bumps and bruises" from the beating but was not hospitalized, Falls said.

After the shot was fired, the three Ashland officers on the scene called in support from the Talent and Phoenix police departments. A short time later, commanding officers made the decision to call in the Medford Police Department SWAT team, Falls said.

It's unclear why Kwiatkowski remained barricaded in his house for more than eight hours, the lieutenant said.

"That's being investigated right now," he said at a 3 p.m. press conference. "I don't know why he didn't come out sooner." Kwiatkowski eventually surrendered and was arrested without further incident.

"That's the first and foremost reason we waited out there so long, because we wanted it to be resolved peacefully — for our officers and for the suspect," he said. "It just takes time. That's the key to these incidents."

— Hannah Guzik

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