A Missouri man faces three felony charges and is held without bond in the Texas County Jail after allegedly threatening family members at gunpoint Friday.
James L.A. Cox, 25, of Grain Valley, is charged with first-degree assault (a class B felony), armed criminal action (an unclassified felony) and unlawful use of a weapon (a class E felony).
A Texas County Sheriff’s Department deputy said a woman called at about 5:40 p.m. and said her nephew (Cox) had pointed a pistol at her and threatened to kill her and the rest of the family. She stated he was outside her house (at an unreported location) and had tried to get back inside, but people inside had locked all the doors and turned off all the lights.
The woman said children and other family members in the house had gone upstairs in case Cox started shooting into the structure.
Three deputies responded, and upon arrival saw that the lights were still off. Through phone communication with Texas County 911 and TCSD dispatch, the officers were advised that Cox was still somewhere on the property and armed with a handgun.
After about two hours, Cox surrendered himself to two of the deputies and told them where the gun could be found, according to a report. A .40- caliber Taurus pistol was located and seized as evidence, along with a box of ammunition.
The incident reportedly started the day after Thanksgiving with a fight between Cox and his stepfather after Cox began yelling at his mother for disciplining his child.