Man who shot New York firefighter dies after standoff

NEW YORK — The man who shot and wounded a firefighter after setting his home ablaze in a standoff with New York authorities is dead, police said on Friday.

He died after barricading himself for six hours in his Staten Island home, which he torched to thwart authorities trying to arrest him at 5:45 a.m. for a federal parole violation, police said.

Fire lieutenant Jim Hayes, 53, a 31-year veteran of the department, was shot twice and wounded by the man, who used an assault rifle, police and fire officials said

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton identified the suspect as Tyree Garland, 38, but he was identified in court records as Garland Tyree, also known as "S.I."

On Facebook, a man named Garland Tyree from Staten Island wrote "Today I die" on his profile early Friday morning. Friends responded with questions and concern. "They kicked in my door and it popped off," Tyree wrote.

Bratton said during the initial encounter at least four shots were fired at authorities attempting to serve the warrant on Garland, who he said has a long criminal history with at least 18 prior arrests.

Authorities entered the apartment early Friday morning to find it filled with smoke, Bratton said.

Hayes was shot in the buttocks and left calf after crawling into the apartment beneath smoke to look for Tyree before authorities knew he was armed, New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Hayes is in stable condition at a local hospital, he said.

"It's been 21 years since one of our members was shot in the line of duty," Nigro said. "We are at once troubled by the incident, but happy that the outcome will be that he will rejoin his family and be happy and healthy for the remainder of his days."

In July 2013, Tyree was ordered to serve more time in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release by allegedly using cocaine and associating with known gang members, according to a court document that details his alleged involvement in the Bloods street gang.

Bratton said he was again released from prison in July 2014.