COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Neighbors living in the Easton Ridge Apartments on the northeast side of Columbus are sharing the tense moments leading up to SWAT officers fatally shooting an armed suspect during a domestic violence standoff.
A next-door neighbor called 911 at 9:41 p.m. after she heard a dispute between a man and a woman late Monday night. She told dispatch she heard a man assaulting a female inside the apartment and threatening to kill her.
Shortly after Columbus Police arrived, the suspect began firing at them on multiple occasions from inside the apartment, where the woman was being held hostage. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and described the normally quiet area as chaotic and frightening. The Easton Ridge Apartments are located on Hampton Woods Court, just north of Easton Town Center.
I heard some loud noises and he was almost throwing her,” said one neighbor who shares a wall with the apartment. “You could hear glass shattering. That’s when I heard him yelling and I had to make the call [to 911]. I feel so much for her. I shouldn’t have had to ever make that call.
SWAT and hostage negotiators engaged the suspect in phone negotiations for about an hour, attempting to resolve the situation peacefully.
“There was at least a period of time where it was so quiet while they were here,” one neighbor explained. “So, I figured they might’ve been negotiating with them, but then it all came to a head. One of the scary things is when I heard the drone flying past. Police were using a lot of methods to help her get out of this situation.”
Neighbors were told by authorities to stay inside and move to the back of their units.
The standoff ended at 11:45 p.m. Monday night when the suspect walked out of the apartment with a gun. Police said he pointed the weapon at officers, prompting multiple SWAT members to open fire, fatally striking the man.
I was in between my living room and kitchen and I knew that was more than one shot,” a neighbor told ABC 6. “I laid down with my dog, knowing these walls are thin and you don’t want an accidental bullet. There’s not a lot of places that you can take cover. When you have somebody that is also fearing for their life and they’re the ones in the situation, it all is so overwhelming.
The woman was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the alleged assault. No other injuries were reported.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, which is standard procedure in such incidents.
Police have not released the name of the suspect as of Monday afternoon.
