Fugitive fatally shot after exchanging gunfire with officers at Ohio motel

By The Associated Press

NORTH CANTON, Ohio (AP) — A man wanted in West Virginia on a federal weapons charge was shot and killed at an Ohio motel during a standoff with police that also left one officer wounded, authorities said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was tracked to the motel in Jackson Township by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service said. When confronted by officers shortly after noon Monday, the man pointed a gun at them and barricaded himself inside a room.

The task force members backed off when they saw the weapon, and the Canton Regional SWAT Team soon responded. The man fired several shots and a North Canton officer who serves on the SWAT team was hit once in the arm. He is expected to fully recover from surgery.

The man, who was alone in the motel room, eventually was shot by officers and was pronounced dead. Two weapons and multiple bullet casings were found in the motel room, authorities said.

It’s unclear what led to the federal weapons charge. Marshals did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

No other injuries were reported in the standoff.