Police standoff ends with suspect in custody

Six hours after a Columbus police officer was shot Friday during a burglary investigation, police used tear gas to flush a 34-year-old man from a hiding place at 3312 Hilton Ave. and take him into custody.

Daniel Ray Crisp was arrested about 6 p.m. and charged with burglary, Police Chief Ricky Boren said during a 7 p.m. news conference. Crisp is a suspect in the shooting of the police officer just after noon, after a burglary alarm alerted police.

The unidentified patrolman was one of three officers searching the house when he entered an upstairs bedroom and was shot in the left shoulder area, the chief said. The injured officer, who had been wearing a bulletproof vest was transported to Midtown Medical Center where he was treated and released.

“Fortunately, that officer only received an injury to the left shoulder consistent with a projectile hitting him, but it was in fact deflected by the vest he was wearing,” Boren said. “The bullet didn’t penetrate the skin. It has bruised him and he was treated and released at the hospital. He is at home resting at this time.”

Boren said police were en route to the Hilton Avenue house when the residents came home and found a rear door open and an unknown moped at the rear of the house. The scooter had been stolen earlier Friday from a house near 18th Avenue and the Lakebottom area.

After the shooting of the officer, the SWAT team was called to the scene. Police tried to negotiate with the armed suspect still inside but was unsuccessful.

Around 4:48 p.m., Boren said police set off four flash-bang devices at the home to distract the suspect in one area while police entered the home in another location. Police also used a PA system in a police vehicle to try to communicate with the suspect.

Over the next hour, officers went from room to room and floor to floor within that house searching for the suspect, Boren said. “We made sure that we had totally cleared it as we worked our way into house. We worked our way to the room we believed him to be in and applied gas. Once the gas was applied, he came out soon. That was in the top rear of the house.”

After Crisp was taken into custody, Boren said officers conducted a thorough search of the residence. “We also did a secondary search of the residence to be sure we had everyone out of the residence before we turned it back over to the family,” he said.

During the standoff, Boren said police kept the family and neighbors in the area aware of what was going on in the neighborhood. Police released a photo of a man on a scooter and tried to determine if anyone knew the suspect captured on surveillance video before Crisp was taken into custody. “At that point, we were not 100 percent sure that was same individual we had in the house,” the chief said.

With the suspect in custody, Boren said the the police investigation begins. No gun has been found in connection with the shooting of the officer. “We are still looking for the weapon,” he said.

The chief also said investigators don’t believe there is a second suspect. “We are sure there was one person, and he is in custody,” he said.

Most of the police vehicles started moving out of the area at 7 p.m. Boren said a police car will be in the area during the evening as a comfort to residents.

At the scene, Columbus police were assisted by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said he came to assist with tactical personnel if they were needed.

Police believe the burglary was an isolated incident and a crime of opportunity. “He didn’t believe anyone was home and entered the house,” the chief said of the suspect.

Boren said the department is relieved the standoff ended the way it did.

“We are just happy that it worked out the way it did,” he said. “We did not have to injure anybody. We did not have an officer injured any worse than they were. We are happy with the outcome.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 9:51 PM with the headline "Police standoff ends with suspect in custody."