Police shoot man in Columbia, say he pointed a replica gun
A Howard County police officer shot and wounded a man Monday in Columbia during a standoff in which the man pointed a weapon at police that turned out to be a pellet gun, police said.
Police said 42-year-old James Andrew Schueler of Columbia was in serious but stable condition after he was shot once in the torso on a street near Long Reach Village Center.
Police said a caller to 911 just after 7 a.m. said Schueler had spoken about harming himself and family members, and of committing “suicide by cop.”
Officers arrived about 20 minutes later and spotted a green Jeep Cherokee that matched a description given by the caller, police said. They stopped the vehicle at the corner of Hayshed Lane and Tamar Drive.
Police said the driver, later identified as Schueler, refused to get out of the vehicle. They said he told officers he had a gun and intended to hurt himself.
Police said he then held a weapon to his head.
Officers set up a perimeter and called negotiators, police said. After about 45 minutes, they said, Schueler got out of the Jeep and pointed the weapon at nearby officers.
An officer fired one shot and struck him, police said. Medics administered aid, and Schueler was taken via helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun, police said. They called it a “replica of a real semiautomatic pistol.”
Police did not release the name of the officer who shot Schueler. The officer was placed on administrative leave, which a spokeswoman said is standard procedure after this type of incident.