The suspect in the Sturgeon standoff was wanted for domestic violence and was on probation at the time of the incident

STURGEON, Missouri (KMIZ)

A Sturgeon man who died Tuesday after an hours-long standoff with police was on probation and wanted for an assault he committed earlier that day.

The Boone County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday charged Damion A. Linder with second-degree domestic violence, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon. Assistant District Attorney Mandi Roberson filed a motion to dismiss on Wednesday.

The assault charge led police to arrest Linder on Tuesday afternoon, leading to a standoff at a trailer park in South Sturgeon. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said Linder was found dead in a trailer park after numerous exchanges of gunfire between Linder and police.

Linder was on probation in Audrain County at the time for custody violations and concealing the child from investigators in July 2023. The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a probable cause statement that they found a child in Linder’s home who had been taken from him by court order. An investigator said Boone County Judge Tracy Gonzalez, in her order to place the child in foster care, found “reasonable cause” to believe the child in Linder’s home was in “imminent danger.”

Linder pleaded guilty to custody crimes in September 2023. Judge Jason Lamb sentenced Linder to five years’ probation after a plea agreement. Had he violated his probation, Linder could have received four years in prison.

According to court records, Linder pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment in 2019. He completed his two-year probation in 2021.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating Linder’s death and is asking, among other things, whether the fatal shot was fired by authorities or caused by the officer himself.