A Jefferson City man was arrested following an investigation into a weapons violation at the offices of the Cathedral of St. Joseph on West Main Street.
Officers were called Monday after the front door appeared to have been vandalized, but video surveillance showed a man had knocked on the door around 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Jefferson City Police Department reports.
When the man failed to get a response from within, he took out a handgun and fired once into the building through the glass of the door. He was seen leaving the office going westbound on West Main in a vehicle, then turning north on a side street.
Developing leads Monday, officers eventually identified James Smith, 43, as the person believed to have committed this act.
Officers found a vehicle matching the description of the one seen leaving the church in the 300 block of Ridgeway. Smith was contacted there, and he consented to having an officer search the vehicle. They found a box of 9mm ammunition and a 9mm pistol.
Smith was charged Tuesday with two counts of discharging a firearm at a habitable structure and one count of first-degree property damage.
During questioning, Smith admitted to the shooting at the church. He said he was upset he could not find a priest to speak to.
Smith also admitted to going to the Office of State Court Administrators at 2112 Industrial Drive in Jefferson City early Saturday morning and discharging 12 rounds of ammunition at six motor vehicles, causing damage to the windows, interiors and tires.