Columbus Standoff: Justice Department Investigating Death

(Columbus) One person is dead following a standoff Sunday in Columbus. According to a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Columbus Police Department, assisted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a 911 call around 6am on the 500 block of South Birdsey Street.

The individual who initiated the call was reportedly involved in a domestic violence incident early Sunday morning and fled to a neighbor’s house after the altercation. When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene of the domestic violence incident, they encountered a male suspect who was said to be unwilling to meet law enforcement demands to leave the residence. After hours of negotiation, the Justice Department says law enforcement deployed non-lethal gas into the residence and entered. The suspect was found dead inside. The victim of the domestic violence was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital and released. No juveniles were harmed during the incident. The state Justice Department is leading the investigation into the domestic violence event and the death of the suspect.

The investigation has been a collaboration between the Department of Criminal Investigation, the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory Bureau, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Columbia County Medical Examiner. The Columbus Police Department and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office have been assisting DCI during this investigation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Tabatha McGee