CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio -- Three officers and one deputy fatally shoot a robbery suspect after police say a standoff ended as the suspect raised a firearm at authorities.
The Pickaway County Sheriff's Office has released the following release:
On February 16, 2010 at 2:47 p.m., the Communications Center of the Pickaway County Sheriffs Office monitored traffic from Circleville Police of an Armed Robbery that occurred on West Main Street, at the Star-fire Express. The suspect vehicle seen leaving the area of the robbery was a White Econoline Van, bearing Ohio Registration EXL1313.
The attendant was found to have been shot by the suspect. Pickaway County Sheriff’s Communications immediately broadcast this information to all listening units.
At 2:48 p.m., an off duty Sheriff’s Communications Corporal observed a vehicle matching that description east bound on S.R. 188, just outside the City of Circleville.
At 2:51 p.m., a Washington Twp. Worker advised that a van matching that
description had just passed his location at Stout Rd. and SR. 188. Units from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and Circleville Police concentrated their search for the suspect vehicle in this area.
At 3:00 p.m., a Circleville Police Unit spotted the suspect vehicle at Ashville Fairfield Rd. in the area of SR. 674. At this time the vehicle attempted to elude the Circleville Unit and drove backwards onto Ringgold Northern Rd. for approximately two miles until the vehicle went off the West side of the roadway at 3:05 p.m.
At this time multiple units from both departments arrived on the scene. Three suspects, two male and female, were immediately taken into custody without incident. A fourth male suspect remained in the vehicle, refusing to come out. Officers engaged in communication with the suspect for approximately 20 minutes, urging him to give up his weapon and surrender.
At 3:29 p.m., the suspect pointed his firearm at the officers and three officers from the Circleville Police Department and one Deputy from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office discharged their weapons. The suspect was checked by officers but was fatally wounded.
The remaining suspects were removed from the scene and transported to the Pickaway County Jail for further investigation.
The scene was secured by Detectives from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office until the arrival of the Pickaway County Corner, Dr. Michael Geron and Agents from the Ohio BCI&l who were summoned by the Sheriff’s Office to complete the Crime Scene Investigation.
The deceased suspect has been positively identified by fingerprints late this afternoon at the Montgomery County Morgue. The identification revealed the deceased suspect was a Jeremy Eugene Hedges (D.O,B. 8-15-1984) of the Lancaster Area. Positive Identification was delayed due to the lack of personal identification on the suspect.
Two of the three individuals who were brought in for questioning have been released pending further investigation. The third individual has been identified as Rodney 0. Harrison, of the Lancaster Area. Harrison has been charged by the Pickaway County Sheriffs Office with Obstructing Official Business and the investigation is continuing into the Robbery at Star Fire Express. Additional detainers have been placed on Harrison by the Fairfield County Sheriffs Office.
The Pickaway County Sheriffs Office continues to Investigate these Incidents in cooperation with the Circleville Police Department and the Ohio BCI&l.
NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS from Circleville police.
Circleville police were called to the Star Fire Express gas station on West Main Street Tuesday night on reports of a robbery.
The station's co-owner, Mohammed Qamar, said the suspect entered the convenience store, grabbed a soda and went to the counter to pay for it.
The suspect allegedly grabbed cash out of the register as Qamar attempted to give him change. Qamar said the total amount was about $200.
Qamar said he saw the male was armed and grabbed his shirt and chased him outside the station. The two struggled, and Qamar said the suspect shot him in the leg.
A witness, who didn't want to be identified, reported seeing the struggle between Qamar and the suspect.
"I saw the owner of the store out on the ground in a fight, so I turned around to come back and see what was going on -- to see if I could help," the witness said.
The witness said he followed the suspect as he fled the area.
"I followed him, and I saw him get in the van. I got the tag number and took it to the police department," he told NBC 4.
The suspect fled the station eastbound on West Main Street and northbound on Court Street in a white Ford Econoline van with an Ohio license plate.
While Circleville officers were locating the suspect vehicle, a detective responded to the gas station and found the owner with a gunshot wound to the leg. An undisclosed amount of cash also was stolen from the station, police said.
An off-duty sheriff's employee saw the suspect vehicle on state Route 188, in the area of Pontius Road, and a county employee reported seeing the vehicle on S.R. 188 in the area of Stout Road.
Officer Tom Royster located the suspect vehicle in the area of state Route 674 and Ashville-Fairfield Road.
The suspect vehicle was traveling toward Royster.
Royster stopped, and the suspect vehicle started traveling in reverse to avoid Royster and his cruiser.
Royster followed the vehicle as it traveled in reverse on Ashville-Fairfield Road and on to Ringgold Northern Road.
The suspect vehicle slid off the road.
Circleville officers, Pickaway County sheriff's deputies and troopers surrounded the van.
Two males and one female were taken into police custody without incident.
The robbery suspect, the fourth person in the vehicle, displayed a handgun and refused to exit the vehicle, a police report said.
Officers engaged the suspect for about 20 minutes, encouraging him to surrender.
The suspect refused to surrender and pointed the firearm at officers, according to the report.
Three Circleville officers and one deputy fired their service weapons.
The suspect was fatally wounded.
The other three suspects in the vehicle were transported to the Pickaway County jail for questioning.
Qamar was transported to Berger Hospital.
The county coroner, sheriff's investigators and crime-scene investigators from Ohio' Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation all responded to the scene.
Circleville police department is conducting the robbery investigation while the Pickaway County sheriff's office handles the officer-involved shooting investigation.
Authorities have not identified any of the suspects or the involved officers.
The involved officers remain on paid administrative leave during the investigation.
Additional information was not available immediately.
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