Search fatalities

James Leroy Perdue III

Age :

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/16/2026

Location : 1201 Madison Avenue, near Autumn Circle

City : Council Bluffs

County : Pottawattamie

State : Iowa

Agency : Council Bluffs Police Department; Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office; Iowa State Patrol; U.S. Marshals Service; Metro Area Fugitive Task Force

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress during fugitive standoff

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

NARRATIVE:
On 08/16/2026, James Leroy Perdue III died from what police described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an approximately six-hour standoff with local, state and federal law enforcement at a residence at 1201 Madison Avenue near Autumn Circle in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Police specifically reported that no officers fired their weapons during the incident.
.
Council Bluffs police officers and members of the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force arrived at approximately 1:45 p.m. while attempting to locate Perdue. Police said he had active Iowa parole-violation warrants. Officers had also been advised by the FBI that Perdue was being sought in connection with a homicide in South Dakota and was considered armed and dangerous.
.
About an hour after police arrived, authorities determined that Perdue was inside the residence. Council Bluffs police, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service established a perimeter around the house. Police closed part of Madison Avenue and directed nearby residents to shelter in place.
.
Police negotiators repeatedly attempted to persuade Perdue to come out of the house, but he remained inside. The standoff continued for several hours.
.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., officers heard gunshots coming from inside the residence. Police subsequently entered or otherwise approached the residence and found Perdue dead from what they said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said no law-enforcement officer discharged a firearm during the standoff.
.
Perdue had also been identified as a person sought in connection with a fatal shooting in the Wagner North Housing area near Wagner, South Dakota. Yankton Sioux tribal authorities said that shooting occurred at approximately 9:04 p.m. on 08/14/2026. The FBI and tribal police were investigating that homicide.
.
Perdue’s death occurred while his residence was surrounded by multiple law-enforcement agencies, after hours of attempted negotiations intended to secure his surrender. Because police reported that he shot himself during that active armed standoff, the death is classified here as suicide under police duress.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
No individual officer has been publicly identified as having primary responsibility for the operation. The response involved Council Bluffs police, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service and the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force. Police reported that negotiators made repeated attempts to obtain Perdue’s surrender and that no officer fired a weapon.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wowt.com/2026/08/17/murder-suspect-found-dead-after-standoff-council-bluffs-home/
https://westerniowatoday.com/2026/08/16/wanted-man-suspected-in-south-dakota-homicide-found-dead-after-stand-off-in-council-bluffs/
https://www.kios.org/2026-08-17/kios-fm-local-news-for-monday-8-17-26
https://www.gowatertown.net/update-wagner-murder-suspect-found-dead-in-iowa/
https://espnsiouxfalls.com/ixp/481/p/wagner-south-dakota-iowa-james-perdue/