A man is dead after Alliance police officers shot him Tuesday afternoon near an apartment complex on Johnson Avenue, capping off a chase that began when he allegedly pulled out a gun at a local car dealership. The confrontation unfolded around 3:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Johnson Avenue, where officers found the man sitting inside his vehicle after responding to reports of an armed male nearby.
The initial 911 call reportedly came from Wally Armour Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, a dealership at 1950 West State Street, where the man allegedly displayed a firearm before leaving, according to WKYC. Officers received a description of the man from the dealership and later located his vehicle nearby, per News 5 Cleveland. When they approached, they told the suspect to put his hands on the roof of the car, but he refused.
Alliance Police Chief Akenra X said the man was given verbal commands, tased, and then reached for a gun before officers opened fire, killing him, according to the station's report. Police believe the man fired one shot from his own weapon during the encounter, and officers later recovered his gun at the scene. No officers were injured in the shooting, the chief said.
Three Officers on Scene, Two Fired Shots
Alliance Police Captain Don Wensel said three officers were involved in the confrontation on Johnson Avenue, and two of them discharged their firearms, according to Jordan Miller News. That account indicates the three officers made initial contact with the man while he was still inside his vehicle, before the situation escalated to gunfire.
Chief Akenra X has not released the suspect's identity, with the department saying it delayed the announcement while notifying the man's family, per the same account from News 5 Cleveland. Police said they will release additional information as it becomes available.
Neighbor Describes Popping Sounds and Aftermath
Bruce Rodkey, who lives across the street from the apartment complex and has called the block home for roughly 40 years, told News 5 Cleveland he heard multiple popping sounds and watched officers damaging a truck near the scene. Rodkey, 73, said he was born and raised just a couple of houses down from where he lives now. Officers eventually cleared the scene after the shooting.
State Investigators Examine Shooting
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. Its investigators are gathering evidence and interviewing involved officers.
This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting in Alliance in less than two years. In January 2025, four officers responded to gunfire on the fifth floor of the Alliance Towers apartment complex on South Arch Avenue, and two officers returned fire, killing a suspect during an active shooting situation that also left a woman dead, according to WKYC. In September 2023, Alliance officers fatally shot 59-year-old George Appleby inside a South Linden Avenue apartment after he held a knife to a hostage's throat, a case that was likewise referred to Ohio BCI for investigation.
In at least one earlier case, the Alliance Police Department released body-worn camera footage. Chief Akenra X, who was sworn in by Mayor Andy Grove in 2023 as Alliance's first Black police chief after serving as a department captain, is now overseeing the agency's response to its third fatal officer-involved shooting since late 2023.
Regional Safety Context
Ohio ranks fifth nationally in law enforcement officer fatalities in the line of duty, according to data cited by the Ohio Association of Police Chiefs and reported by Cleveland19. That statistic is often cited by law enforcement leadership when reviewing the circumstances of officer-involved shootings that escalate quickly once a suspect reaches for a weapon.
Alliance, a Stark County city, has now seen a string of high-stakes police encounters over the past three years. The Alliance Police Department, which operates out of headquarters at 470 East Market Street and includes Patrol, Detectives, Dispatch, K9 and Special Response Team divisions, said it will release more information about Tuesday's shooting as it becomes available.
