Sikeston police resolve suicide attempt with Taser

SIKESTON, Mo. -- An apparent suicide attempt in Sikeston Wednesday night was resolved when police Tasered a man who was threatening to shoot himself with a handgun inside his home, according to a Sikeston Department of Public Safety news release.

Police received a call around 8:30 a.m. of a man inside a home with a handgun threatening suicide. One officer saw the man inside with a gun to his head.

Police barricaded streets leading to the home and surrounded the home, finally persuading the man inside to come to the front door. Police say the man refused to remove his hands from his pockets when he came outside the home, and while he was talking to officers, one officer Tasered him from behind. A loaded .38-caliber handgun was found inside the home. The man was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston for physical treatment and mental evaluation.