Joseph Chester "Joe" Palczynski (November 11, 1968 – March 21, 2000) was a spree killer in the suburbs of Baltimore who in March 2000 killed four people and held a family of three as hostages in nearly a four-day standoff, one of the longest known conducted by one man. The saga ended when the two adult hostages escaped the house, the third—a child—was rescued, and Baltimore County Police fatally shot Palczynski as he was reaching for a gun. A woman was convicted and sentenced for buying weapons for a convicted felon, because she bought guns for him before he committed these crimes.