INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 23 -- Two men sprayed a restaurant with gunfire today in a botched robbery attempt, killing one person, wounding at least four others and taking about two dozen people hostage, police said. They surrendered after a six-hour standoff.
The gunmen released the hostages in groups of four or five throughout the afternoon. They included a 5-year-old boy who was shot in the face.
The final hostages were released shortly before the two gunmen surrendered around 5:15 p.m. Police identified the suspects as brothers from Casper, Wyo., who had apparently picked the city and restaurant at random.
Authorities said the siege began around 11:20 a.m. The restaurant's manager was shot as he tried to wrestle a gun away from one of the men. Then the other gunman "went crazy" and started shooting wildly, said Sgt. Frank Evans, the chief hostage negotiator. The dead man was identified as Alfred Smith, 71.
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Police sealed off the Denny's restaurant and surrounded it with SWAT teams and helicopters, while the gunmen herded the customers to the front of the restaurant.
Witnesses who fled the building or were released said it seemed as though the gunmen simply appeared and began firing without warning.
"We just went in to have lunch and all of the sudden it sounded like somebody set off a firecracker back in the kitchen," said Ed Gill, who was dining with his family.
At least one person was killed in the attack. The wounded 5-year-old boy underwent three hours of surgery and was listed in critical condition, said Matthew McCardle, a spokesman for Community Hospital North.
Witnesses said 40 people were inside when the gunmen entered. One man had a .357-caliber pistol and the other had a 9mm automatic pistol, police said.
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Police identified the gunmen as Thomas E. Mathisen, 24, and his brother Ron, 27.
"They pulled a map out, saw Indianapolis and decided to come here," Evans said.
The suspects face a variety of charges, including murder, attempted murder and attempted robbery.
Evans, who spent 3 1/2 hours negotiating with the gunmen, said they apologized for the attack, blaming it on the restaurant's manager for trying to grab the gun.
Thomas Mathisen repeatedly asked to talk to his wife, who is seven months pregnant. "I told him this wouldn't be good for her," Evans said.
As part of the negotiations, Denny's agreed to fly Thomas Mathisen's wife and father-in-law to Indianapolis on Tuesday.
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