UPDATE: Suspect’s cause of death being investigated, deputy recovering
NEW PHILADEPHIA (WJER) (April 1, 2024) – Authorities late Monday afternoon had not yet reported the cause of death for a suspect in a “wild” series of events that spanned three crime scenes Sunday night.
Detective Captain Adam Fisher with the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect, a 34-year-old Summit County man, was shot in a struggle with a deputy.
However, Fisher says, the suspect was still able to flee in the deputy’s cruiser and crash it into a parked car on East High Avenue at Tell Street. He was pronounced dead later at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital.
The deputy, Cody Morrison, was also injured. Fisher says he is doing well.
“He does have an injury to his left hand from a gunshot wound, but that is going to be an injury that was inflicted during his discharge of his own firearm.”
“He has a broken bone in the lower leg. It’s undetermined at this time exactly how that might have occurred.”
The incident started when a pickup truck crashed into a house at the intersection of 8th Street NE and Fair Avenue just after 9 p.m. Fisher says Deputy Morrison responded to the scene and encountered the suspect, who jumped into the cruiser. That’s when they struggled, and the deputy fired his weapon. The suspect still briefly got away.
“He was ultimately able to flee the scene in the deputy’s cruiser and … made it a couple of blocks before crashing one final time.”
Fisher would not say if the suspect had a weapon as the investigation is still unfolding.
He referred questions about the cause and manor of death to the Coroner’s Office, which did not immediately respond.
Fisher says Ohio BCI is investigating the shooting.