The day he took the boy hostage, he was supposed to be in court. My guess is that is what put him over the edge.
I hope everything ends with no more being hurt. I would not try to kill the guy but if that is what it takes to save the kid, then he has been bought and paid for.
I read that he was supposed to be in court on charges of threatening another neighbor at gunpoint. So he long since went over the edge, this is going ‘round the bend.