Man arrested in gun assault

Suspect was wanted by police on previous charges.

By Matt LaVeille

Published Oct. 13, 2008

Columbia police arrested a man on suspicion of assault after he turned himself into officers.

At about 3:45 a.m. Sunday, the Columbia police officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of Citadel Drive in reference to a disturbance involving a man with a gun.

When officers arrived on the scene, the suspect took off running southbound from the residence, according to a CPD news release. 

The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Richard E. Wright, who was already wanted by police for failing to appear on traffic charges, and for a probation violation warrant. 

According to the victims, Wright assaulted a 24-year-old female, in addition to a 37-year-old male. Wright struck the 37-year-old male in the face, then placed the muzzle of the handgun against the male's forehead, according to the CPD news release.

According to the release, at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, about four hours after the assault, a man later identified as Wright flagged down a Boone County Deputy in the area of Brown School and Interstate Drive. The man was identified then to be Wright. According to the release, Wright told the officer that he was tired of running and wished to turn himself in. 

According to the release, the handgun used in the assault has not been recovered.