CANTON, Ohio — Canton Police officers shot and killed a 41-year-old Canton man on Wednesday night after responding to a "disturbance" and being fired upon, according to a news release from the department. Chief John Gabbard said one of the officers was not injured after being grazed by a shot fired by the suspect, Jeffrey Neff.
At about 10:07 p.m., officers responded to the disturbance in the 300 block of 25th Street SW, according to police. According to a 911 call obtained by News 5, a neighbor called police to report a loud disturbance at a nearby home.
"They’re over there fighting pretty bad. If you guys could go over and make sure nobody’s hurt, I’m worried," the caller told the dispatcher. "... I just heard yelling. I don’t know if anybody has put their hands [on one another]. I just heard screaming, and it sounded pretty loud."
Shortly after arriving, Chief Gabbard said the responding officers were fired upon by the suspect, later identified as Neff. The officers returned fire, wounding him. Neff was rushed to the hospital, and he was later pronounced dead. It is unclear how many officers fired, nor is it known how many shots were fired.
Chief Gabbard later requested the assistance of Ohio BCI to investigate the police action shooting, which is standard protocol.
News 5's overnight photographer Mike Vielhaber captured footage of more than half a dozen police vehicles, including Canton Police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
BCI working a large crime scene on the I-77 exit and entrance ramps at Cleveland Ave in Canton. Canton police, OSP and BCI all working the scene. We have some information that this is a shooting but have yet to confirm details. pic.twitter.com/ViysR9EOdL
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) June 8, 2023
Officers and troopers could be seen walking through the scene, which was taped off. They were there for about five hours. The scene was cleared by the morning commute.
Although calm had returned to the 300 block of 25th Street by Thursday afternoon, neighbors were still trying to comprehend what had happened the previous night.
"It's [usually] a nice quiet street. You wouldn’t think that would happen across the street from you," neighbor Elwood Thompson said.
Thompson and his neighbor, Rose Lorenzo, both said Neff had, on occasion, offered help to the street's elderly homeowners. However, both longtime residents also acknowledged that police had been called to the Neff household on multiple previous occasions.
"It’s a terrible thing. Domestic violence is everywhere. I had it as a kid myself. You don’t want it to happen across the street from you," Thompson said.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General's Office said the BCI investigation into the police action shooting remains ongoing and is in the preliminary stage.
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