The Region - News from May 10, 1987

A man who barricaded himself in his Yorba Linda home after firing an errant shot at his girlfriend’s date was found dead of a gunshot wound, police said. Investigators were unsure whether the shot that killed Lawrence Ward, 29, was self-inflicted or accidental, Police Lt. Don Rogers said. Ward’s body was found in the bedroom of the home he shared with his parents in the 18000 block of Montecito Drive, Rogers said. Five hours earlier, Ward had agreed to surrender, telling officers over the telephone that he wanted to clean up first, Rogers said. “We heard the shower and had voice contact. Then we heard a gunshot and there was no more contact,” Rogers said. Ward’s parents and sister were inside the home when the stand-off began, but walked out unharmed several hours before the fatal shot was fired, Rogers said.