RITTMAN, Ohio — Four people are dead, including a Rittman police officer, following a violent night in which eight people were shot in Wayne County.
Sheriff Tom Ballinger said that the dispatch center received 911 calls around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday “for some type of disturbance and shots fired” in the 90 block of Chippewa Trail in Rittman. Responding officers immediately started taking fire, according to the sheriff.
What Ballinger told reporters just hours after the shootings:
Rittman officer killed
Ballinger, Rittman Police Chief Robert Shows and Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice released a joint statement on Monday morning stating that, in addition to the officer who was killed, four Medina sheriff’s deputies were shot.
The suspect and two victims are dead.
Two of the four deputies were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and are in stable condition. The other two deputies were treated at the scene.
A Wayne County Sheriff’s Department K-9, Vick, was shot and is in serious condition.
The fallen officer was identified as Sgt. Scott Ries, a 10-year veteran of the Rittman Police Department. He died at a hospital in Akron.
“Sgt. Ries served the Rittman Police Department with honor and courage. Throughout his service, Sgt. Ries demonstrated an enduring commitment to protecting others and upholding the values of our department. Our hearts are broken with this unimaginable loss. The incident remains under active investigation with BCI. We are grateful for the outpouring (of) support from our community and law enforcement partners,” Rittman Police said in a news release Monday morning.
Prior to Rittman, he served as a deputy for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and as an officer for the Sugar Grove Police Department in Fairfield County.
Wayne County Coroner Dr. Amy Jolliff told News 5’s Bob Jones the suspect was a 38-year-old man, and the victims were a 43-year-old woman and her teen daughter, who were killed before the officer was killed and the suspect killed himself.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded.
News 5 Cleveland
A News 5 crew was on scene around Cheyenne Drive as they saw drones and a helicopter in the air. They also watched as law enforcement ran through front lawns and backyards, and asked residents how many people were in their house. Their focus appeared to be on a two-story home.
Vehicles from the sheriff’s department and Rittman, Wooster and Smithville police departments, some of which had bullet holes, were towed from the scene.
Watch Nadeen Abusada’s report:
Vehicles with bullet holes where officer was shot
Last night, the Wooster Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol asked people to avoid the area near Rittman High School.
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