Jefferson City Police Investigate False Alarm

Jefferson City, MO – Jefferson City Police are investigating what led to a false alert of a hostage situation at an office building two blocks away from the State Capitol Tuesday.

The Governor Office Building is home to the Public Service Commission and houses other state offices. Someone in the building activated an alarm system that alerted police to a hostage situation. But after a thorough search of the building, police found nothing to indicate that anyone had been taken hostage.

Captain Doug Shoemaker is with the Jefferson City Police Department.

Shoemaker: "We're looking into all the issues as to why and what right now, and trying to figure out where the origination came from, or the message came from itself."

There had also been rumors of shots fired and casualties, but police quickly dispelled those rumors. About four blocks of downtown Jefferson City were shut down during lunch hour, and at least one restaurant owner said he lost thousands of dollars worth of business.