LOVILIA, Iowa — Cars and trucks steadily drove by Regina Dennison’s home all day Monday, definitely not the norm as Lovilia’s shrinking population of 472 is half of what it was a century ago. Dennison struggled to make sense of what happened across the street, the reason why so many onlookers had been driving past.

“Both very, very nice people,” she said of the couple who lived in the home for the past several years. “I’m pretty much blown away,” Dennison said as she stood on her front porch with her son, Evan.

The family had barely slept after witnessing what played out on their usually quiet street over the past 24 hours.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation released a statement Monday afternoon that offered a few details into what took place Sunday and Monday.

Dennison said her family hadn’t seen the woman who lived in the neighboring home for about a week but had seen the woman’s husband over that time. They didn’t realize anything was wrong until Sunday evening when numerous law enforcement vehicles rushed in.

Dennison said her family peeked out numerous times Sunday evening after officers surrounded the neighbors’ home to try to convince the man to come out. Negotiations lasted hours. But authorities say the man eventually shot himself Monday morning.

“It’s just a shock to the system to think that there’s even this happening right across from our house,” she said, “It’s kind of scary.”