Authorities said a Cabool man who fired a shotgun multiple times in the vicinity of law enforcement officers was arrested early Sunday morning and is in the Texas County Jail.
Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Anderson on Monday filed five charges against Joshua T. Ellison, 30, of 12799 Barnum Drive at Cabool, including assault or attempted assault of a law enforcement officer, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and second-degree domestic assault.
The incident leading to Ellison’s arrest began with a 911 call from his wife at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, indicating she was at a neighbor’s house and that Ellison had assaulted her and was armed.
A Texas County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded to Ellison’s home and saw him standing in an upstairs window holding a shotgun. The deputy reported that Ellison than came out of the house, pointed the gun in his direction, and shots were fired.
The officer quickly backed his patrol car to the top of the property’s long driveway, and waited for backup. Texas County Sheriff James Sigman and numerous officers from other agencies responded, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Cabool Police Department and Wright County Sheriff’s Department.
Several officers using a hand-held thermal imaging device attempted to locate Ellison, and he was observed walking toward the group with shotgun in hand. Sigman said officers lost sight of Ellison because of the contour of the land, and a short time later, another shot was fired.
“It was close enough that we could smell the gunpowder,” Sigman said. “But we still couldn’t see him through the brush.”
Within about five minutes, a deputy saw Ellison and yelled at him. Realizing he was outnumbered, Ellison stepped out into the open and was apprehended, Sigman said.
“Any time there are shots fired, we all come together,” Sigman said.
Ellison is held on $2.5 million bond.