A phone call to SSM Health Medical Group office at 11 South in Columbia on Wednesday morning was brief cause for alarm.

At about 9:40 a.m., a man from New Athens called the medical office to express frustration about his wife’s recent diagnosis there and her current medical situation.

The medical office contacted Columbia police due to some of the language used in the phone call, particularly the man’s statement of a possible “mercy killing.”

Columbia police went to 11 South, and the building was briefly placed on lockdown as a precaution.

New Athens police were able to make contact with the man who made the phone call, and he explained that he was simply upset and meant no harm to others with his comments over the phone.

Columbia police sent a report of the incident to the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office for review of possible charges.