A tense situation that began with an armed man barricading himself inside a home on Saskatoon’s Avenue Q has ended with police officers finding a man dead inside a bedroom of the house.

Heavily armed police officers, including an armoured Saskatoon police vehicle, have been on scene on the 500 block of Avenue Q North for several hours.

Officers were initially called to the home at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday following a report of a break and enter in progress. The complainant reported seeing an unknown person inside the home.

Patrol and tactical officers as well as Saskatoon police dogs responded and began working to clear the residence, police said in a media release. A man in possession of a long-barrelled gun was found inside a bedroom.

Early reports indicated a gun was fired. Police did not initially confirm who fired the shots, but now state shots were fired by officers.

Police Chief Clive Weighill said he’s not sure if the suspect fired any shots.

Police exited the house after the gunshots and established a perimeter around the home.

Tactical officers, the Saskatoon police armoured BearCat vehicle, and crisis negotiators were called to the scene, and an RCMP tactical vehicle later joined the efforts.

Repeated attempts to make contact with the suspect inside the house were unsuccessful for much of the day, and officers entered the house at about 4:30 p.m. A man was found dead inside the bedroom, police said in a media release.

The media release did not clarify if the man found dead was the same man who barricaded himself inside the home, but Weighill said officers believe it’s same person.

His identity has not been confirmed, according to Weighill.

Major crimes officers are investigating and a request has been made to the justice department to provide oversight, according to Saskatoon police.

Members of the public were asked to avoid the area during the incident.

Two nearby Catholic schools, St. Maria Goretti and St. Edward, were placed under hold and secures for the afternoon, according to a Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools spokesperson.

The nearby Howard Coad public school also took precautions, a public school board spokesperson said. Students who walk home for lunch stayed at the school over the lunch hour.

Most students from the schools were sent home as normal. Alternative arrangements were made for those kids who live in the area of the Avenue Q incident.

--- with files from CTV Saskatoon's Jennifer Jellicoe, Angelina Irinici, Dani Mario and Matt Young