A 17 standoff ends with a barrage of gunfire and one man is dead.

Baton Rouge police say it all started yesterday afternoon when they tried to pull over Keith Carter, and he fled to his own home where he periodically fired shots at officers.

The lawyer and family friend of carter says he hates that things had to turn out this way.

“His loved ones were there when he was killed and I don’t wish that on anybody,” Niles Haymer said.

Haymer was one of the last people to speak to Carter before he became holed up in his home and his deadly encounter with swat members.

After being transported to Our Lady of the Lake, the man at the center of a lengthy police standoff was pronounced dead.

“I and his family, of course we don’t think he deserved to leave this world like he did today,” Haymer said.

During the standoff negotiators allowed Haymer to speak with Carter for several minutes. He says he pleaded with Carter to surrender and drop his weapon. 

“I expressed to him that I love him that he’s like a brother to me and I wanted him to end this without with ultimately happened,” he said.

Police say Carter did the opposite. According to authorities the 52-year-old attempted to flee his home and fired a weapon at officers.

“They did everything in their power to end this peacefully. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t end that way,” Police Chief Murphy Paul said.  

Attributing Carter’s behavior to a mental illness, Haymer says he’s known him and his family for years and is hurt that his life ended in such a traumatic way.

“I know that Keith was crying out for help and its unfortunate that in our society we don’t have enough resources for people like Keith who’s suffering from mental health problems.

Police say throughout the 17-hour ordeal every opportunity to end it peacefully was offered, but in the end gunfire was exchanged for a few short seconds, and Carter was killed.

No officers were hit.