Two murder suspects arrested in Columbia

Two men wanted on suspicion of murder in Illinois were caught in central Columbia this morning.

Terrance A. Vinson, 29, and Michael J. Thompson, 28, both of Carbondale, Ill., were arrested at 710 Mikel St. on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated kidnapping, according to a Columbia Police Department release.

The two had felony warrants out for them in Williamson County, Ill.

On Tuesday, Illinois police contacted the Columbia Police Department to notify them that two murder suspects were possibly in Columbia.

At 8:33 a.m., a Columbia police officer spotted someone standing on the front porch of a house at 710 Mikel that matched a photograph provided by Illinois police, the release said.

Columbia police then called a "Code Red" and SWAT members responded and surrounded the home. About 25 minutes later, both suspects surrendered without incident, the release said.

During a subsequent search , a handgun was found but it's unclear if the weapon is related to the Illinois crime, police said.

Illinois police are currently en route to Columbia, the release said.

The Missourian will update this story as more information becomes available.