A two-hour standoff ended peacefully in Davenport around 11 Thursday morning. But Scott Strohbehn, 52, remains in custody after a shot was fired inside his apartment.
Strohbehn, who lives at 206 East 12th Street, owed his landlord $1,600 in back rent. But when a sheriff's deputy tried to serve an eviction notice, things really went wrong.
There were tense and tragic moments inside Apartment 3 on Thursday morning.
"The door was barricaded, I understand, with a snow shovel," said longtime landlord Larry Smith.
Smith recalled the response as a sheriff's deputy tried to serve eviction papers.
"When they started up the steps, all of a sudden there was a shot," he said.
According to police, Strohbehn was depressed over a multitude of negative things in his life. With Thursday's eviction, he said he had nowhere to go and attempted to intimidate the deputy by firing the gun.
Nobody was hurt, but authorities surrounded the building. Additional renters were evacuated from the apartments. Surrounding streets were sealed off.
"They made me go out the front door of my house and climb out a window," Smith said.
A special tactical unit plotted strategy as the standoff dragged on. Minute by minute, there was uncertainty without communication inside. Residents were left to watch and wonder.
"I said, 'Is everything okay,'" neighbor Kim Taylor said. "Can I get my kids out of here? They said, 'No. Get your kids to the back of the house and get down.'"
Officers were eventually able to contact the suspect by phone. After several minutes of discussion, the man surrendered.
"When they finally did make contact, they started a conversation with him," said Maj. Mike Brown, Scott County Sheriff's Department. "They were able to convince him to come out."
It was a peaceful resolution, and there was relief for residents who worried about the outcome.
"I think we're damn lucky somebody didn't get shot," Smith said.
Another tenant actually slept through the entire standoff.
Strohbehn is undergoing a psychological evaluation and faces three charges in connection with the incident.