MEDINA, Ohio — Medina police said an 'armed and dangerous' man who is accused of killing two people is now in custody after he was found just before midnight on Thursday.
The shooting happened Thursday night in the area of Baxter Street and Lafayette Road. Police said when they entered the home, they found two people, an 84-year-old woman and a 46-year-old woman shot to death.
Authorities said Robert Dick, 52, was not at the scene when they arrived.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office said Dick's 2016 White Chevrolet truck was found in West Salem around 9:00 p.m. He was arrested without incident at around 11:50 p.m. after a citizen spotted him near the Dragway 42 facility. He was located in a wooded area and was in possession of a loaded handgun.
People at the Medina County Fairgrounds were told to lock down while they were searching for Dick.
"Everything went in lockdown and then they had SWAT cars and police and sirens," Cadence Bene, 16, said.
Bene was showing poultry at the fairgrounds and said there were rumors of an active shooter nearby.
"It was just scary knowing that someone’s nearby with a gun and you’re locked down in some building not knowing really what’s going on," Bene said.
Thomas Corbett, 17, who was at the fairgrounds to support his friends who were showing animals, heard the rumors too.
"Everybody was just kinda like, 'Oh, it’s gotta be a rumor.' There are rumors that spread every single year about stuff here at the fair. It’s like, 'OK, no big deal.'"
Corbett said he became worried when he heard what might be happening close by and saw a "commotion" with police officers.
"I was worried at the point in that it was going on next to the fair, and we heard later on it was not close to us as much anymore," Corbett said. "So it’s like, I’m relieved at that point, but there’s still more or less like the time where they could come in still."
The Medina County Fair Board released a statement Thursday evening, writing, “Tonight, in the City of Medina, officers responded to a shooting incident near the Fairgrounds. Due to the proximity of the Fairgrounds, our emergency response plan was activated. Out of an abundance of caution, the Fairgrounds were placed on temporary lockdown. At no time were Fairgrounds visitors at risk. Medina County Sheriff’s Deputies secured the Fairgrounds to ensure the safety of all visitors, staff, and concessionaires.”
Police confirmed later in the evening that there was no active shooter, but that they were continuing to look for Robert Dick. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was also called in to help.
