A Columbus police SWAT officer fatally shot an armed suspect after he assaulted and took a woman hostage and opened fire at authorities in a barricaded standoff at an apartment complex.
Credit – Officer.com
Ohio police rescued a woman taken hostage earlier this week when a SWAT officer fatally shot a gunman who opened fire and pointed his weapon at authorities.
The incident happened at around 9:40 p.m. Monday when Columbus police were called to a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex, The Columbus Dispatch reports. A neighbor at the scene told officers that she had seen the suspect—identified as Jerry D. Smith—become physical with a woman and told her she was going to die.
At the scene, officers needed to take cover behind cruisers when Smith opened fire before taking the woman hostage and barricading himself inside an apartment. The department’s SWAT unit was called in, and a standoff ensued for over an hour as police tried to negotiate with Smith.
Shortly after 11:45 p.m., Smith came to the front door, and police say he had his gun in his hand. That’s when a SWAT officer fatally shot the suspect.
Following the shooting, the woman was rushed to the hospital and treated for her injuries.
The shooting is under review by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations.