Deputies shoot, critically injure suspect after standoff near Newcomerstown
OXFORD TOWNSHIP (WJER) (August 3, 2022) – A tense overnight standoff in the Newcomerstown area ended this morning with sheriff’s deputies shooting and critically injuring the suspect.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell says deputies responded to a call around 3:30 a.m. for a mental health issue involving a 36-year-old man at an Oxford Township residence near the Hampton Inn. They later learned he was armed.
Campbell says deputies stayed in view of the subject for about five hours until 8:30 when the incident escalated.
“The individual was aggressive toward deputies with a firearm, and they fired. The individual was struck. The deputies provided immediate first aid, and the individual was transported by Tri-County EMS to Mercy Medical Center.”
Campbell says the man has wounds to his leg and shoulder and was in critical condition, but he had not received a recent update.
Campbell believes the response was justified.
“I believe our guys acted well within policy and the way our community would have wanted them to.”
Campbell says no deputies were hit by gunfire. He has requested the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate the shooting.
He did not immediately release the suspect’s name or other details involving the incident. Investigators were still on the scene early this afternoon.