Thurston County Deputies say Carlton Hayes shot his girlfriend, held a gun to the head of her 3-year-old boy, and also endangered the life of his 18-month-old child. The situation was obviously not brimming with optimism, until the 3-year-old was released a full 12 hours after the standoff began.

I said to a deputy at the scene, "That's great news, the boy was released." He replied, "Well, it's not over yet." He was right.

At 8:31 a.m. as we were broadcasting live, a loud blast was heard through the neighboorhood. It was clear this wasn't going to end well. Several other blasts, and shots were heard.

But as a reporter, you've got to keep several things going through your head while you report. Is the suspect's family watching? Are loved ones of SWAT team members watching? Are we safe? Are we endangering the lives of others by broadcasting live?

With that in mind, I watched my words carefully as we tried to describe the chaos down the street. "Something has happened here." I was intentionally vague. The last thing you want to do is jump to a conclusion, speculate or cause panic for those loved ones and friends who may be watching.

We stayed with it for most of the half hour, the entire time wondering what has happened down the street. We later found out from the Washington State Patrol that SWAT members opened fire on Hayes after they say he came out of his home threatening to kill himself, and shot at police.

While I did see deputies and troopers shaking hands with one another, I won't forget the one deputy who I spoke with throughout the morning. He reminded me of something that was lost in all the coverage of the live event, and the follow-up.

When I said to him how it was "great news" that the boy had been released physically unharmed, his voice trailed off.

"Well, maybe I've been in this too long," he replied, "but those kids, it's gonna be tough, hopefully they'll be okay." He was talking about the mental anguish the children must being going through.

The 18-month-old will have to come to terms with the death of his father. The 3-year-old was traumatized by having a gun put to his head, and his mother in the hospital. It won't be an easy road for either of them, and they are going to need guidance, beyond the help we witnessed that Wednesday morning.