From Staff and Wire Reports
SPARTA — Events are still unclear this morning surrounding the shooting of a man believed to have stolen a Knox County Sheriff’s Office cruiser Sunday night.
The cruiser was stolen about 10 p.m. in Centerburg. The man led authorities on a chase through Knox, Delaware and Morrow counties, then was spotted about midnight in the parking lot of Sparta Advent Christian Church near the intersection of Ohio Routes 656 and 314 outside Sparta. The suspect may have struck a deer with the cruiser.
Morrow County Sheriff Steven Brenneman described what happened to NBC4 out of Columbus:
“My officer spotted the vehicle and the suspect. The suspect approached my officer. He was armed and had the weapon out. He was ordered numerous times to put the weapon down. He refused and continued to approach my officer. My officer took cover behind his cruiser.
“The subject still refused to put his weapon down and continued to approach my officer and, for my officer’s own safety and the safety of others, he went ahead and fired.”
The identity of the suspect has not been released, although reports indicated he was 50 years old. The weapon he was carrying was reportedly the M16 rifle from the cruiser. One shot was reported fired at the deputy.
The suspect was taken to Knox Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The deputy was reported to have been checked and released.
Knox County Sheriff David Barber issued no statement and referred all questions to the Morrow County sheriff.
The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office had no additional information to release before press time.
Calls to Barber were not returned.
Centerburg Village Administrator Philip Lohmeyer confirmed that the cruiser that was stolen was one assigned to the village, but had no comment on anything else related to the incident, referring all questions to the two sheriff’s departments.
The Ohio Highway Patrol also assisted, sending a cruiser to the scene, but said the investigation was being handled by the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office.
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