Two children under the age of five were held hostage in a home in Rittman on the border of Medina and Wayne County Sunday afternoon, according to the Rittman Police Department.
Rittman Police Chief Bob Shows said officers responded to a domestic call on South Hickin Avenue. The incident began around 3 p.m. and went on until 8 p.m.
When officers arrived, the woman who called was outside the residence and told police her husband was still in the home with two of their small grandchildren.
Shows said a few minutes later, multiple gunshots were heard from the back of the residence.
The offender refused to leave the residence and did not listen to officers' instructions. That resulted in the five-hour-long standoff with police.
Shows said that negotiators from the Orville Police Department were on the scene and able to contact the suspect. Negotiations continued throughout the incident.
There were no injuries, but a small caliber rifer was fired out of the back window, police said.
The two boys are back with their mother, and the suspect is in custody. Police said the suspect is not a prior criminal, but they are familiar with him.
Shows said the suspect walked out of the home peacefully and released the children at the end of the incident.
Drones, MRAPS, and breaching equipment were brought out during the incident. Surrounding agencies, including Doylestown, Creston, Marshallville, Smithville Police Departments, the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency, and Wayne County Sheriff's Officer, responded and formed a perimeter immediately. Rittman and Sterling EMS stood by to provide medical assistance. Tactical Teams from the Medina County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Patrol responded to help provide more safety.
Shows told News 5 that kind of support means the world to them.
"We at Rittman Police Department greatly appreciate all the first responders who contributed to the successful outcome and the understanding of the residents in the area as this incident developed.
