Man shot by Ohio sheriff’s deputy believed to be armed, heading to high school homecoming dance

A person accused of being armed and heading toward an Ohio high school Saturday night was fatally shot by officers.

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Around 9:11 p.m. Saturday, Medina County Sheriff’s deputies were assisting Wadsworth Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office with a suicidal 44-year-old man who was believed to be armed and threatening suicide by cop, CBS affiliate WOIO reported.

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Officers believed the man was heading to Wadsworth High School. The high school was placed on lockdown during the school’s homecoming as a precaution.

Janice Martin, whose daughter Maggie Martin is a senior at Wadsworth High, told WOIO that they received a phone call from her daughter before receiving a call from the school.

“She said I’m not happy because they put us in lockdown. It scared me because lockdown means there’s something really bad happening,” Martin said.

Maggie admitted she was a little nervous and started pacing as she called one of her friends.

“We were just being told we were in a soft lockdown, and they wouldn’t tell us what it was about,” Maggie said. “Some teachers came over to the group I was in and said it’s not a threat to the actual high school. It’s just a situation outside. But that didn’t make me feel any better.”

Wadsworth City School District Superintendent Andy Hill said in a message to parents that the individual was not a student of the district and was an adult.

Around 10:08 a.m. officers spotted the suspect’s car on Silver Creek Road in Wadsworth Twp and initiated a traffic stop.

After the officers stopped the car, the suspect got out with a suspected firearm, according to a release obtained by WOIO.

Medina County Sheriff deputies “engaged the suspect and fired their service weapon.” Officers and EMS administered life-saving measures but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hill said the students and adults at the dance did an “outstanding job” following directions to ensure safety.

“Finally, I would like to thank the Wadsworth Police Department and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response last night to enact plans to keep everyone at the high school safe. We appreciate their efforts to prioritize the safety of those in our high school while they actively dealt with the situation off of our campus,” Hill said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

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