A 24-year-old man fatally shot himself in his sister's Nittany Apartments residence after an eight-hour standoff with police that ended at about 9 a.m. yesterday.

Students traveling on the east side of campus in the early morning hours yesterday were turned away by emergency vehicles, flares and a heavy police presence guarding the area around Nittany Apartments.

Nittany Apartment residents who were barred from entering their apartments found alternate places to spend the night while police negotiated with the man, Philadelphia resident Qwynton Armstead, who was barricaded in his sister's apartment.

Armstead died of a gunshot wound to his head, Centre County Deputy Coroner Judy Pleskonko said.

Pleskonko said the manner of death was suicide. She added that there were no apparent, external signs of alcohol or drugs in Armstead's system, but a toxicology report has not been completed.

Residents in a nearby apartment reported to police at about 1 a.m. that an argument involving a gun was occurring between Armstead and his sister, a Penn State student, in her upstairs apartment, Bill Mahon, Penn State spokesperson, said.

When university police arrived, Mahon said Armstead's sister, who was the only occupant in the apartment, was taken outside and the door was blocked.

The sister told police that while she was in his presence, Armstead, who is not a Penn State student, put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, but the gun "clicked" and did not fire, Mahon said.

Penn State University Police shut down four campus roads and began evacuating students from nearby apartments at about 2 a.m.

For about eight hours, police, including the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team, and the State College Police Department, negotiated with Armstead, Mahon said.

It is unclear why Armstead was upset, but Mahon said he was in an argument at a downtown State College bar earlier in the evening.

Police used percussion devices and shot tear gas through a window to distract Armstead before entering the apartment to disarm him around 9 a.m., Annemarie Mountz, Penn State spokesperson, said.

When police entered, Armstead had shot himself, Mahon said, adding that Armstead died at the scene.

Following the incident yesterday, the student residents of building 12, where the standoff occurred, were taken to Nittany Community Center, where Penn State offered counseling services, Mountz said.

After spending the night in temporary housing, the 12 students expect to return to their apartments today in building 12, Mountz said.

Zack Keefer, a student resident of Nittany Apartment 1303, and his suitemate, Matt Pavelic, said police evacuated them from their apartment to use their apartment for a "stakeout."

Pavelic said the tear gas was shot from their apartment through the window of the apartment where the suspect was located.

Julio Gomez, who also lives in building 12, said he came home around 2 a.m. and police barred him from entering his residence because a gunman was in the building.

He said his parents and suitemate were still in his apartment. Police evacuated them to Pollock Halls for the night.

A team from the coroner's office, accompanied by Centre LifeLink, removed the body from the apartment around 12:30 p.m. yesterday, wearing gas masks and white suits.