Man wanted in MTA worker's fatal shooting found dead after standoff

HACKENSACK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Surrounded by a heavily armed SWAT team from Bergen County, 44-year-old Zire King was found dead, Eyewitness News has learned after a five and a half hour standoff on Friday afternoon.

Well into the standoff, where King barricaded himself in a closet in a house, Eyewitness News has learned, several loud bursts were heard as SWAT members moved in closer, trapping him inside.

"I heard about six or seven of them going off. I think they were trying to flush him out," said Steve Gerbino, "I heard no screaming. I heard the negotiator try to coax him out."

Then, around 6:45 p.m. a large group of SWAT team members wearing what appeared to be gas masks made another advance into the home.

"The SWAT team went in, I saw about 20 guys go in with shields, and they started coming out, and before you knew it, they were packing up. I'm not sure if anyone was in there, or they got him," Gerbino ads.

Eyewitness News has learned that King was found dead on the second floor - the cause of death is unknown.

Gerbino, who has a business near the house was watching as the drama was unfolding throughout the afternoon.

"It's a lot of excitement for Hackensack," he said.

King was wanted for questioning by the NYPD in the murder of 41-year-old MTA worker Jacqueline Dicks. She was shot and killed as she walked home from work on Monday night in Brooklyn.

During Friday's standoff, police stopped traffic for several blocks, leaving some to wait to get back into their homes.

"We haven't seen this in eight to ten years that I can recall," says Wayne Stalker.