Sexual assault suspect dead after shooting at Sharon Woods Metro Park
A reported sexual assault led to an officer-involved shooting and one death at Sharon Woods Metro Park on August 15.
According to the Genoa Township Police Department, the victim reported the assault at 1 p.m. Saturday and that the attacker used a gun. The victim identified the suspect and his car to the Delaware County Dispatch. During the investigation, a Genoa Township officer spotted a car matching the description, and with additional units, followed the car south on Cleveland Avenue while confirming the suspect.
In an attempt to pull the car over, the suspect turned into the park entrance located at 6911 Cleveland Ave., stopped in the parking lot, and got out of his vehicle holding a handgun to his head.
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“For 45 minutes, our officers pleaded with this man,” Genoa Township Police Chief James McMillin said. “They kept talking with him, and they kept asking him to put the gun down and come with them peacefully.”
According to officers, the suspect would repeatedly put the gun down and step away, only to pick it back up again, pacing with erratic movements. At one point, he checked the gun chamber and made comments about how he had hurt people.
At 1:55 p.m., the suspect leaned against his vehicle with the gun out of his hand. As officers began to approach him, he bent over and picked up the gun again. One officer fired his Taser in an attempt to stop the suspect but failed; another police officer fired a single round, but the suspect remained standing. The suspect then put the gun to his own head and fired. Officers and medics attended to the suspect, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
Genoa Township police will be investigating the sexual assault. Police said investigators have found evidence that a rape did occur and that the victim and suspect knew each other.
According to police, the suspect “likely planned it well in advance.”
Sharon Woods was closed to the public for the rest of the day following the incident and reopened on Sunday, August 16.
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