A reportedly suicidal suspect and a 4-year-old girl were killed, and an officer was critically wounded, after the suspect opened fire Wednesday on two cops who tried to help him, Ohio authorities said.
The incident unfolded just after 2 p.m. when cops in St. Clair Township were called about a possibly suicidal man, police said in a statement. As the officers located the man walking down St. Clair Ave. and attempted to speak to him, he pulled out a gun and began shooting, prompting police to return fire.
“In the shootout, one St. Clair Township police officer was shot in the head,” police said. Bullets also struck a 4-year-old girl who was “at a nearby private business.”
While the wounded officer was responsive, he was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital in critical condition, the statement said. He underwent surgery Wednesday evening and was said to be in stable condition as of 8:30 p.m. His identity had not been released.
The child was flown to another hospital, where she later died. She was shot in the head while in a dentist office, a police spokesman told WFMJ.
“The 4-year-old girl has tragically passed away from her injuries,” police said in an update. “Please pray for her and her family.”
Just before 7 p.m., police updated to say that the gunman too had died.
“The suspect, 30-year-old Joseph Como, has died from his injuries,” the St. Clair Township Police Department said. “Our prayers are with his family.”
Police were still trying to make sense of it all on Wednesday night. They had not released the little girl’s identity.
“We’re trying to gather information as fast as we can so we can update the community,” Police Chief Brian McKenzie told WKBN. “Right now, we need the community to pray for our officer and the child who were shot.”
The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, the union representing officers in the state, launched a funding drive for the officer and the girl before learning of her death.
“Our thoughts are with the St. Clair Township Police Department in Columbiana County and the people of that community today after a tragic officer-involved shooting,” President Jay McDonald said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “The child is just 4 years old and was an innocent bystander in this incident.”
Upon learning of her death, the union said it would continue to raise funds for her family.
