Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2009

Columbia woman held hostage, freed

A hostage situation in Columbia early this morning ended with the victim freed unharmed and one man dead from apparent suicide.

Columbia Police Department officers were called to a residence in the 3200 block of Covenant Road off North Beltline around 12:07 a.m., and found a male suspect threatening the life of a woman with him inside the house.

Columbia and Forest Acres police surrounded the home and shut down Covenant Road while trying to contact the suspect, the police department said.

Around 1 a.m., police said they heard a single gunshot inside the house and saw the woman run out. She was not physically injured.

Columbia Police spokesman Brick Lewis declined to identify the woman.

The department's SWAT team entered the home and found the male suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts was called to the scene and is investigating the death.

-- Kelly Davis

3200 block, Covenant Road

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