Kearney Police, Sheriff’s Office Resolve Standoff

An armed domestic violence suspect fired at members of the Sheriff’s Office’s Special Tactics and Response (STAR) Team during a stand-off that began Tuesday night and stretched into Wednesday morning.

Fortunately, no deputies were hit. The incident began about 9 p.m. May 7 when a woman reported a man had assaulted and shot at her in a home in the 700 block of Jessie Circle in Kearney, Mo. She escaped to a neighbor’s house and called police. She was not struck by the shots. The suspect was armed and refusing to come out. Kearney Police requested the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office STAR Team.

The STAR Team and the Sheriff’s Office negotiators came to the scene. Negotiators spent several hours trying to make contact with the suspect. They had information another person could be inside the house. Deputies eventually began deploying tactics to get the suspect to exit the home. They then heard multiple gunshots and saw glass broken out from where the suspect had fired through a window at them.

Scott M. Blau

The suspect later came into the open garage with a gun in hand. When confronted by deputies, he dropped the gun after being struck by beanbag rounds. After a brief struggle, deputies were able to get him into custody at about 3:30 a.m. May 8. A search of the house revealed no one else was inside.

The suspect was transported to the hospital to be checked out before being booked into the Clay County Detention Center. Scott M. Blau, 34, has been charged with domestic assault, two counts of armed criminal action, assault on a law enforcement officer and other weapons charges. He is being held on a $500,000 bond. The Kearney Police Department is investigating the case.

Submitted press release.