Suicide by cop suspect appears in court

AURORA, Mo. — An Aurora man who police say attempted suicide by cop was released from the hospital and is now in jail.

Today, Jeffrey Nelson, 57, waived a reading of the charges against him and pleaded not guilty. He was released from the hospital and arrested last Friday.

Nelson is charged with four counts of first-degree assault with special victims, among other charges. He is being held without bond.

Police say Nelson is the man who walked into the Aurora-Marionville Police and Fire facility a week ago, pointing a loaded gun at officers and demanding they shoot him.

AMPD Chief Wes Coatney said that while Nelson was pointing a loaded gun at his officers, they remained calm and refused to shoot him.

He says officers were behind bullet-proof glass in a secure location and believed they could de-escalate the situation.

He also says officers had dealings with Nelson earlier that day and knew Nelson was suffering from emotional distress.

Coatney says even though they took Nelson into custody without shots being fired, this was not a typical scenario.

"There are circumstances where the safety of the public, our officers,
and even the individual in crisis must take precedence." Chief Coatney in a Facebook Post

Nelson will be back in court later this week for a bond reduction hearing.