Four children, suspect dead after 20-hour hostage situation standoff in Orlando

Four children and one man are dead after a 20-hour standoff between police and a suspect who had barricaded himself inside an apartment with the children on Monday.

What are the details?

According to CNN, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said that law enforcement had been in contact with the suspect, Gary Lindsey Jr., both directly and indirectly throughout the day Monday.

The suspect reportedly shot an officer around 11:45 p.m. Sunday night and shut himself away inside the apartment along with the children ages 1, 6, 10, and 11.

Mina noted that law enforcement initially responded to a domestic violence call from Lindsey's girlfriend on Sunday, and that's when Lindsey, 35, reportedly shot at officers upon arrival, striking one of them.

The suspect's girlfriend reportedly phoned in the complaint after she'd left the home.

Mina added that officers returned fire, but it was unknown if any of the officers' bullets struck the suspect.

What happened then?

Mina said that at one point during the standoff, they were having trouble connecting with the suspect's phone and attempted to provide him with a phone to use. That's when they saw that one of the children was dead.

According to Mina, officers gained entry to the apartment around 9 p.m. Monday and discovered that the other three children were dead as a result of gunshot wounds, and the suspect's body was discovered in a closet inside the home.

Mina said that two of the deceased children are believed to be Lindsey's children. Authorities believe the other two belonged to his girlfriend.

"We have no idea when those poor children lost their lives," Mina told reporters, noting that officers worked tirelessly to resolve the hostage situation, which he called "tragic and sad."

"That will all be part of the investigation," he added.

What happened to the officer who was shot?

Mina identified the officer shot as Kevin Valencia, a two-year veteran of the Orlando police force.

Valencia was in critical condition after having been transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery.

Mina told WFTV-TV that Valencia is expected to live, despite reportedly being shot in the eye.

"He's extremely strong, and we're praying for the best," Mina said.

According to WKMG-TV, the suspect had a history of arrests for both arson and domestic violence battery, as well as arrests for probation violations.