Man kills mother, threatens law officers during 7-hour standoff

WILLS POINT — A Wills Point man shot to death his elderly mother and then threatened to kill law officers during a seven-hour standoff before being arrested. According to our news partner KETK, Gerald Wayne Powell, 45, was booked into the Van Zandt County Jail on a charge of murder. Sheriff Steve Hendrix said deputies were notified by Powell’s sister that Powell told her around 10 p.m. Sunday that he had killed the family dog and planned to kill their mother. Officers surrounded the house at 890 FM 2965, just outside the Wills Point city limits, evacuated neighbors and blocked off the roadway. Officers were able to talk to Powell by phone during much of the standoff. Several law agencies and first responders, including the DPS and a SWAT team from Kaufman County, helped the sheriff’s office bring the standoff to an end.