Apartment standoff ends with Columbia man’s arrest

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man faces weapons charges after an hour-long standoff with police at a west Columbia apartment complex Friday.

Damian Smith was charged Friday afternoon with unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon, both felonies. Police identified Smith in a news release after they used gas to end the standoff.

Smith surrendered after the Columbia Police Department SWAT team used gas, Lt. Clint Sinclair said. The building had been evacuated before the use of the gas, which is weaker than tear gas, he said.

Smith, 31, of Columbia, was being held late Friday at the Boone County Jail.

A CPD spokesman said the call began with a domestic dispute. Sinclair said the investigation began on Sexton Road in central Columbia and led to the apartment building. A standoff began at 2 a.m. and ended about seven hours later, police say.

Sinclair said the suspect had a gun but did not fire it.

The Columbia Police Department shared on Twitter around 4:20 a.m. that officers are working in the 100 block of North Stadium Boulevard on a situation involving a "barricaded subject." An ABC 17 News crew saw officers outside one of the buildings at the Ash Street Place Apartments.

Police asked the community to avoid the area during the investigation.

A CPD spokesman said officers responded to the apartment complex for a report of an unstable scene around 1:50 a.m. A police dog and a crisis negotiation team were also at the location.

Police said there was no threat to the community.

Check back for updates to this developing story.