Coroner: Suspect died of gunshot injury
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 3, 2024) – The suspect who died following a confrontation with a sheriff’s deputy in New Philadelphia Sunday died from a gunshot injury.
The Tuscarawas County Coroner released the cause of death Tuesday night after an autopsy by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The coroner identified the deceased as 34-year-old Matthew Flynn of Richfield.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office says Flynn jumped into a deputy’s cruiser after crashing a pickup truck into a house at the intersection of 8th Street Northeast and Fair Avenue just after 9 p.m. Sunday.
Officials say he struggled with a deputy, who fired his gun. Both the deputy and the suspect were hit with gunfire.
Officials say Flynn drove away in the cruiser but crashed into a parked car a couple of blocks away. He was later pronounced dead at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital.
Ohio BCI is investigating the shooting as it does all officer involved shootings, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy, Cody Morrison, is recovering from a gunshot wound to his hand and a broken leg. The gunshot wound came from the deputy firing his own weapon. The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately disclose how the deputy broke his leg or if Flynn had a weapon.