Cape man claims to be shot, ends up arrested on assault charge

A Cape Girardeau man who claimed to have been shot Wednesday night was arrested on a charge of assault, police said.

Terrance E. Smith, 22, 321 S. Middle St., was charged with felony assault Thursday for allegedly striking another man in the face.

The assault was reported around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police spoke with Dwight D. Johnson at Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was being treated for a broken nose and fractured eye socket.

According to the probable-cause statement, Johnson said he was trying to keep two women from fighting near the corner of Locust Street and Ranney Avenue when Smith struck him once in the face.

The assault was witnessed by several people, all of whom gave similar accounts.

Around 11 p.m., police made contact with Smith, who was at the hospital complaining of a gunshot wound.

Doctors told Smith the wound was an incision type of injury, not a gunshot wound at all, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the police department.

Smith is charged with one count of second-degree assault. Bond was set at $5,000 cash only.