By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A 50-year-old man faces numerous criminal charges after barricading himself in a St. Joseph residence and holding off officers for nearly 24 hours before surrendering.
The incident at 709 South 16th ended peacefully enough when Harry Newton Ritzinger surrendered. The St. Joseph Police Department accuses Ritzinger of firing shots at officers responding to the scene in the early morning hours of Sunday.
The St. Joseph Police Department reports no one was wounded in the incident, though multiple shots were fired from the residence.
The department says officers responding to the scene helped area residents to safety as shots were being fired.
Ritzinger was taken into custody for felony non-support, unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, and assault on law enforcement.
According to the department, Ritzinger allegedly fired several rounds at the Special Response Team that arrived on the scene. Police say the SRT used several tactical methods to coax Ritzinger out, but he wouldn’t budge. As the day wore on, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Tactical Unit came to the scene to relieve the St. Joseph SRT.
Ritzinger gave up around 11 o’clock Sunday night.