LEROY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 57-year-old man was shot and killed by officers after he allegedly stabbed a woman, barricaded himself inside a Leroy Township home, set fire to the home during a SWAT standoff, then pointed a gun at officers while fleeing, according to police.
On Tuesday morning, the Lake County dispatch center received a call from a man on Leroy-Center Road who said he was going to kill someone, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Deputy sheriffs were dispatched to the home.
They were confronted by an armed man with a 60-year-old woman being restrained at gunpoint, the release stated. Deputies convinced the man to release the woman. She walked to deputies at the end of the driveway, and the armed man returned inside the home.
The woman reported that the man came to her home to confront her about matters involving their relationship. At about 3 a.m., he assaulted her and stabbed her repeatedly, officials said.
The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment, the release states.
At that time, the Lake County Sheriff's Office SWAT team responded, and for the next four to five hours, the team's negotiator spoke repeatedly to the man to try to end the situation peacefully, the release states. During this time, the man could be seen with a long gun and a handgun, sometimes pointing them out the window. The man was also heard and seen breaking windows and pouring what appeared to be gasoline inside the home.
Officials said at about 9 a.m., the man began starting fires in the home and exited it while it was engulfed in smoke. The man entered the backyard with a long gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger.
SWAT members began speaking to him from a distance, trying to get him to put the weapon down, the release states. When he would not comply, officers fire non-lethal rounds at the man to no effect.
As deputies moved closer to prevent his escape, the man raised his rifle at officers, the release states. In response, officers fired their rifles in self-defense.
Responding medical units treated the man at the scene and transported him to Tri-Point Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10 a.m., officials said.
The name of the man is being withheld pending notification of the family, and the victim's name is being withheld as part of the investigation.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident along with the Lake County Arson Investigative Unit and the Ohio BCI.
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