A standoff in northeast Columbus ended in the fatal shooting of a suspect by SWAT officers, the Columbus Division of Police reported. The incident began around 9:40 p.m. with officers responding to a 911 call, a possible domestic violence situation on the 4400 block of Hampton Woods Court, where the caller heard a man assaulting a woman and threatening her life.
Upon arrival at 10 p.m., officers encountered gunfire from the suspect, who had taken a female hostage inside an apartment. "He fired out of the residence multiple times at SWAT officers at the scene. At their equipment, at the SWAT officers who were outside of the residence," Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert told NBC4i. The SWAT unit and negotiators were brought in to defuse the situation.
Negotiations over the phone with the suspect lasted more than an hour as he continued to shoot at officers, according to the Columbus police. Finally, at 11:46 p.m., the suspect appeared at the doorway with the hostage and a gun. He then raised the weapon, prompting multiple SWAT officers to respond with gunfire, FOX28 Columbus detailed.
The suspect was struck at least once and pronounced dead at the scene at 11:55 p.m. Following the shootout, the female hostage ran to officers and was found to be unharmed from the shooting, though she was treated at a hospital for assault injuries sustained prior to the officers' arrival. The identity of the suspect has not been released, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the incident's inquiry.
