Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Gene Kennedy and Randall Jeppesen Reporting The hostage in a standoff that ended this morning is speaking out. Becky Underwood says a friend shot his way into her apartment, and then held her hostage and police at bay for hours.
"We have at least 10 shots fired," authorities say.
This bad situation had all the makings of getting worse, but things somehow ended peacefully.
When police arrived at the Cascade Springs Apartments in West Jordan, a man was outside Underwood's apartment shooting at the front door to get in. SWAT surrounded the apartment.
The man made his way inside.
Underwood describes him as a close friend. The two had dinner and a movie at the apartment last night. Underwood admits this man has pursued her for some time, including asking her to marry him. She's turned him down.
But she never expected for this man to unload rounds on her front door to get inside.
Becky Underwood/Held Hostage: "About 1:30 this morning I woke up to pounds on the door and gunfire. Bullets coming through the door. Carl came down the hall to my bedroom, kicked the bedroom door in."
The so-called "close friend" shot his way into Becky Underwood's apartment, firing at the front door 10 times. He also shot inside the apartment as well. Underwood wasn't alone in the residence. A friend of hers was there too
"He had the gun pointed at me and threatened to kill me as well."
With a 9mm, Underwood says the man took her hostage for three hours.
Becky Underwood/Held Hostage: "He took me inside the bathroom and told me he was going to kill me. Shut the door, put me in the corner."
"She in the bathroom with him, and they were on the phone with police, and there was a shot fired and silence. And I thought she was dead. That is when I ran out."
Underwood shows us where the man fired the shot that could have killed her.
Becky Underwood/Held Hostage: "And it went through right here."
Barely over her head and through the wall.
Becky Underwood/Held Hostage: "It came through here...and went through here to the neighbors."
Luckily it didn't hit anyone. During the terrifying ordeal, SWAT surrounded the apartment complex and evacuated several residents.
A negotiator eventually got to talk to the suspect but it was Becky Underwood who persuaded the man to give her his handgun, the ammo, and let her walk out. A good move on his part-- snipers were ready to shoot him because there were nearly a dozen shots fired. As a result, two people are able to tell their story this afternoon.
Becky Underwood/Held Hostage: "It's a miracle we made it out alive."
Police say he had a nine millimeter gun and five rounds of ammunition.
We've learned that the suspect is 36 year-old Karl Losee. He has been booked into Salt Lake County Jail on four felony charges including attempted murder.
Detectives say Losee snapped when he came back to the apartment and found the young man you heard in the story, sleeping there for the night.
In the words of one lieutenant, "it's a love triangle."
