A 34-year-old man is dead and a 72-year-old homeowner is in custody after a shooting late Monday night at a rural property along Road 72 in Washington Township, Paulding County. Paulding County Sheriff's deputies responded to the address around 10:30 p.m. on August 31 for a report of a male who had been shot, and found Logan D. Moss lying in the driveway suffering from a gunshot wound.
Deputies rendered aid to Moss before Grover Hill EMS took over his medical care at the scene, according to Mercer County Outlook. Moss was transported to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital in Van Wert, where he was later pronounced dead, as reported by The Van Wert Independent. Moss was a resident of Mark Center, an unincorporated community in neighboring Defiance County just north of the Paulding County line, per WLIO.
Homeowner Taken Into Custody
Alfred B. Conner, the 72-year-old homeowner at the scene, was taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Before being incarcerated, Conner was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, a step law enforcement routinely arranges for elderly detainees prior to jail intake, according to WOWO. The sheriff's report indicates Conner will be charged with one count of murder, an unclassified felony under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.02 that carries a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison upon conviction. As with any initial charge, that allegation remains unproven and subject to further legal review.
Paulding County Prosecutor Matthew A. Miller responded to the scene and will review the case for formal charges. Miller was appointed as the county's prosecuting attorney in April 2026 by the local Republican Central Committee after serving as an assistant prosecutor since 2008, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Joseph R. Burkard. Mercer County Outlook reports that the case will be handed over to the prosecuting attorney for further review before any indictment is finalized.
Multi-Agency Response in Rural Washington Township
The sheriff's office leading the homicide investigation is headed by Paulding County Sheriff Jason K. Landers, a lifelong county resident who began as a road deputy in 1997, has served as sheriff since 2013, and was elected in 2025 as president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association. Multiple agencies assisted deputies at the scene, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Grover Hill EMS, and the Scott Volunteer Fire Department, illustrating the inter-agency aid rural counties frequently rely on during major calls, per the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.
The property at 19915 Road 72 is a 1,904-square-foot manufactured home built in 1999, situated on a quiet township road, according to public records reviewed by Zillow. Washington Township sits in a rural, agricultural stretch of Northwest Ohio; Paulding County had an estimated 2025 population of just 18,727 residents, making it the 83rd most populous of Ohio's 88 counties, per USAFacts data.
What brought Moss to Conner's property Monday night, whether the two men had any prior relationship, and the exact sequence of events that led to the shooting remain unclear. Investigators have not released further details on a possible motive, and those questions are expected to factor into Prosecutor Miller's ongoing review of the case.
.jpg){kind=link}