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Officer Shoots, Kills Man in Columbia Rooftop Confrontation

KBIA

Authorities said a police officer has shot and killed a man who fired rounds at officers and deputies from the rooftop of a Columbia building.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the man as 41-year-old Clarence Coats, of Columbia. Police said in a news release that confrontation started Saturday night after dispatchers received calls that a man was threatening people and firing rounds.

Police said officers and Boone County deputies responded and set up a perimeter around the man, but the release said the man was able to flee.

Officers later found Coats on top of the Columbia Labor Temple, where he fired more gunshots at officers. A Columbia police officer fired a single shot at Coats, who died later Saturday. The patrol said a deputy suffered minor injuries.

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