The Richland County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Allied Special Operations Response Team (A.S.O.R.T.), Ontario Police Department, Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force and Mansfield Police Department, served a Felony arrest warrant and Search Warrant at 3340 Peterson Rd. in Mifflin Twp. at approximately 1:30 P.M. August 4, 2021. The warrants were initiated after an initial confrontation with the subject on July 4th followed by several attempts over a 31 day time period to have the subject turn himself in, by both law enforcement and non-law enforcement agencies. Additional citizen complaints and threatening behavior by the subject along with several weapons violations led to today’s warrants. The subject of the warrant barricaded his property and would not allow entry to the units at the scene. After lengthy telephone negotiations, OC pepper gas rounds were launched into the house without success. While still attempting to talk with the subject the A.S.O.R.T. team was able to enter the structure while the subject was on the front deck
. The subject re-entered the house upon hearing the A.S.O.R.T. members coming in the residence and threatened the officers inside, armed with weapons. After several attempts to subdue the subject with non-lethal force, the subject was shot by two officers: Paul Webb, Jr.- Mansfield PD, an 8-year police veteran and Officer Rod Roose-Ontario PD, a 10-year police veteran. A.S.O.R.T. team emergency medics and on-site medical personnel from Mifflin Twp. Fire Dept., immediately began treating the subject who was taken to Ohio Health-Mansfield where he succumbed to his injuries. The name of the subject is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
The officers involved have been placed on Administrative Leave, per both Department’s policy. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (B.C.I.&I.) has been called in to process the scene and investigate the shooting. The Richland County Prosecutor’s Office has been engaged with the case from its initiation and is aware of its outcome. All further inquiries on this matter should be directed to B.C.I. &I.