City of Columbia Missouri Police Department

600 E. Walnut Street
Columbia, MO 65201

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2014

CONTACT: Officer Latisha Stroer, Public Information Officer
Columbia Police Department
(573)874-7448
[email protected]

Suicidal Subject Providence/I-70 E

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

SUICIDAL SUBJECT PROVIDENCE/I-70E

On 9/24/14 at 11:08 A.M., officers were dispatched to a suicidal subject at Providence and I-70 E.  Officers were advised a white female was threatening to jump from the overpass or do harm to herself.  Officers arrived on scene and the female was standing outside the protective fenced in area on the Providence Road overpass.

Columbia Police Crisis Negotiations Team Officer James Blaska and Officer Corey Bowden talked with the female and successfully talked her off of the bridge at 11:47 A.M. The female, age 71, volunteered to go with police to a local hospital for evaluation.

Officers shut down both east and west lanes of I-70 at approximately 11:17 A.M. to make sure no one else was in harm's way.  Officers diverted traffic to the on and off ramps of I-70 at Providence Road. All lanes of traffic on I-70 were open for normal traffic at approximately 11:47 A.M.

The Columbia Police Department would like to thank The Columbia Fire Department and the Missouri Department of Transportation for helping to shut down I70 and the media for getting the road closure information out so quickly to the public. The Columbia Police Department would like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding given the situation



City of Columbia Vision
Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.

City of Columbia Mission
To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.

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