Arrested man kills himself outside of Polk Jail

By Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

COLUMBUS — An arrest in Polk County early Sunday morning turned into a standoff and a suicide.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said at approximately 4:57 a.m., an officer discovered a firearm on a man who was arrested.

“The arrestee was in a patrol car, within the security fence of the Polk County Law Enforcement Facility at 164 Government Complex Drive in Columbus,” states a release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. “The arrestee was asked numerous times to turn over the weapon to law enforcement and the standoff eventually ended after he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At no time was the public in any danger and the situation was contained by law enforcement.”

At one point Sunday morning, Highway 108 was shut down to traffic. The law enforcement center is located just outside Columbus, nearby the local Milliken facility.

The name of the man arrested is not yet being released, with sheriff’s office officials saying they will not release his name until next of kin is notified.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department, the Polk County Emergency Management, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the Tryon Police Department assisted Polk County in Sunday’s standoff.

The NCSBI is investigating the incident.