PARKERSBURG – A Parkersburg man is in custody after allegedly firing a gun Friday night, leading to a standoff with police at a nearby apartment.

City police officers were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. to the 1200 block of Avery Street for a report of a firearm being discharged, according to a release issued Saturday morning by Chief Matthew Board.

Initial information indicated a male suspect, later identified as 55-year-old Demetrius Thompson, had been involved in a verbal altercation in a store parking lot in that portion of Avery Street, the release said. When bystanders attempted to de-escalate the situation, he allegedly discharged a round from a pistol in their direction, then fled on foot to an apartment in the 400 block of 13th Street.

Arriving within two minutes of the initial dispatch, officers identified the apartment Thompson entered and established a perimeter around the building, the release said. The department’s SWAT and Crisis Negotiation teams responded, with SWAT personnel evacuating nearby apartments.

After several hours of negotiation and tactical efforts, supported by Wood County Sheriff’s Office personnel and equipment, Thompson was taken into custody at approximately 2:22 a.m., the release said.

No injuries were reported, and there is no ongoing threat to the community, Board said in the release.

Thompson is being charged with two counts of wanton endangerment with a firearm, a felony that carries a potential prison sentence of one to five years and a fine of $250 to $2,500.