Man who area police shot Saturday charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon

A Smithville man is in jail after authorities said he allegedly pointed a gun at responding officers during a disturbance Saturday night.

The Clay County prosecutor’s office charged Larry L. Caton, 63, Monday with assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

In a news release on Twitter, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges and said Caton was booked into the jail with bail set at $100,000.

Caton was in the hospital Sunday after he was shot by Smithville police the night before during the incident.

In a posting to the department’s Facebook page, Smithville police had said the shooting occurred about 9 p.m. Saturday after three officers responded to a disturbance in the 800 block of Cherry Lane.

The sheriff’s office said officers from the Smithville Police Department went to the scene in response to a call of “an intoxicated man armed with and discharging a gun.” The man, later identified as Caton, allegedly pointed a gun at the responding officers.

The man was shot by police during the incident and was taken to a hospital.

One officer had minor injuries.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which the department said is standard policy.

The case was investigated by the Clay County Investigative Squad.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 10:39 PM with the headline "Man who area police shot Saturday charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon."