NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — A man was shot and killed by North Olmsted Police after he fired at them while running from a burning home where a man with a gunshot wound was found dead inside early Saturday morning, according to a news release from North Olmsted Police. One officer was struck twice by bullets; he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and later released.
Call from a resident
Police said that at 1:34 a.m., a woman called them to say a man had come to her door and said someone was trying to kill him and his uncle.
”He just came up to my car and asked me to call police because they just killed his uncle — potentially killed his uncle," the caller said to a dispatcher.
The man was covered in blood and gave an address on Alden Drive. He fled on foot.
"I heard a lot of shots out my bedroom window, and I went to the front, and I saw three people on my front lawn," said Rita, a neighbor.
"My neighbor next door told me how someone was banging on his door in the middle of the night, so it's not something I would hope to see happen again, and I'll be interested to find out everything that happened," said Pat, a neighbor.
Police respond
When officers arrived at the home on Alden Drive, they heard a single gunshot and found the residence on Alden Drive was on fire, according to the news release. They then saw a 27-year-old man, later identified as Thomas Nock, exit through the front door and run through the backyards of homes on Alden Drive.
One North Olmsted officer and a Westlake Police officer announced themselves and told Nock multiple times to stop, the release states. Nock then got stuck in some bushes in a yard on Berkshire Drive, and he fired at the North Olmsted officer, police say. The officer was struck twice — once in the arm and once in the chest, but his ballistic vest stopped the round to the chest, police said.
North Olmsted and Westlake officers returned fire, striking Nock multiple times, the release states.
The North Olmsted officer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released later that morning. North Olmsted Police Chief Bob Wagner said the officer has been employed with the city since Aug. 17, 2021.
Nock was taken to a hospital for treatment and was later pronounced dead, police said.
Wagner said The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the officer-involved shooting.
The fire
The home on Alden Drive mentioned by the man who came to the woman's door was fully engulfed in flames when the North Olmsted Fire Department arrived. Other agencies assisted in putting it out as nearby residences were evacuated. The State Fire Marshal was on the scene.
Once the flames were out, the body of 52-year-old Christopher Torrisi was found inside with at least one gunshot wound, police stated. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner was contacted to investigate his exact cause of death.
"Mr. Torrisi would be the uncle of the other involved, and the shooter who is no longer with us is a good friend of the other involved," said Det. Sgt. Matt Beck.
The police chief said they had been very familiar with the house and that Torrisi had a long criminal history of theft, drugs and robbery, adding that domestic violence calls also brought them to the home.
Officials said Monday that they believe an accelerant was used.
"We were instructed to evacuate. We just saw all the embers landing on our roof, and we're like, 'Are we going to have a house when we get back?' We didn't know [how] far this was going to spread; thankfully, it did not spread like at all, which we're very thankful for; it stopped at the rock area over there," said Levi, a next-door neighbor.
The man who came to the door
He was later located near the North Olmsted Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. He was found to have been assaulted by Nock and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said he is a cooperative witness and is not being identified at this time.
Motive
A motive for the incident is still under investigation. The Alden Drive house fire is being investigated as an arson.
North Olmsted officials said during a news conference Monday afternoon that the man who initially went up to a woman's door covered in blood was in the process of being evicted, along with his uncle, from the Alden Drive home by his stepmother.
"From what I understand, he was served an eviction notice by his stepmother," said Sgt. Beck.
That house has a known history of domestic violence-related calls, police said Monday.
N. Olmsted Mayor issues statement
Nicole Dailey Jones said:
"On behalf of the residents of North Olmsted, I want to thank all of our first responders for their bravery and heroism in responding to the events early this morning on Alden Drive. Our community is deeply saddened by what transpired this morning. I am grateful to hear that the officer involved in the shooting suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is back home with his family at this time. I also want to thank all of our surrounding communities." -- Westlake, Bay Village, Fairview Park, North Ridgeville and Olmsted Township -- along with all state agencies who responded.
"Unfortunately, we have seen across our region, state and country these types of crimes can happen anywhere. Speaking with officers on the scene this morning, I received confirmation this was an isolated incident and the fire was controlled. We are issuing an emergency order to demolish the house once the crime scene is cleared and all evidence has been collected.
"The investigation is ongoing at this time, and our City will continue to assist the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which are leading the investigation."
