Columbia man shot in officer-involved shooting suffered mental breakdown, family says

The shoot-out in central Columbia on Saturday happened because the gunman, Clarence Coats Jr., suffered from a mental illness that led to a mental breakdown, and eventually his death, according to his sister and mother.

Wanda Coats, his mother, told ABC 17 News Coats Jr. came back to Columbia about five or six months ago.

Coats said her son had been suffering from a mental illness for a few years.

Whether law enforcement officers knew if Coats Jr. was suffering from a mental breakdown or not on Saturday is still unclear.

Columbia police rapid response and deployment policy states when deadly force is to be used as an option: “If a suspect is actively engaged in the infliction of serious bodily harm or other life-threatening activity towards others, the officer should take immediate action, if reasonably possible, to stop the threat presented by the suspect while calling for additional assistance.”

The policy also states officers should attempt to negotiate with the suspect to surrender if possible.

ABC17 News asked CPD if officers followed the protocol but CPD deferred the line of questioning to the Missouri State Highway Patrol which is investigating the fatal shooting.

Law enforcement officials said Coats was shooting at officers when they arrived at the scene.

According to Adam Duncan, assistant director at the Law Enforcement Training Institute, innocent people were in immediate risk of danger and the threat had to be stopped.

Duncan said stopping the threat does not always mean shooting the suspect; it could mean officers detain the suspect.