MIDDLETOWN, OH – A tense situation unfolded in Middletown on Monday, as a 29-year-old man barricaded himself in a Park Lane apartment complex during a well-being check. The situation escalated around 4 p.m., leading to a SWAT standoff. According to Middletown Chief of Police David Birk, the shooting occurred during the standoff.
The suspect shot at officers with a semi-automatic handgun, prompting them to return fire and hit him at least once. No officers were injured during the incident.
Former Cincinnati police sergeant and president of Frontline Advisors Group Dan Hils reported that officers on the scene were communicating with the suspect’s brother, who informed them that the suspect was suicidal and armed with a gun. They were working on a plan to get him to come outside when the shooting occurred.
Emergency medical services transported the suspect to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. His condition was later upgraded to fair. Once released from the hospital, the suspect will be charged with assaulting a police officer. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been requested by Chief Birk to investigate the officer-involved shooting.