A sexual assault suspect whom Genoa Township police were about to arrest Aug. 15 at Sharon Woods Metro Park died by suicide at the scene, according to dash camera footage released Aug. 17 by the police department.
Around 1 p.m. on Aug. 15, Genoa Township police received a report that a 15-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by an attacker who used a gun and then drove off, according to township Police Chief James McMillin.
While officers were responding to the victim, a township police officer spotted a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle that was given to dispatchers and requested additional units because they received reports that the suspect was armed, police said.
Genoa officers followed that car south on Cleveland Avenue
while gathering information to confirm that the driver was actually the suspect, police said.
Officers tried to pull the car over on Cleveland Avenue near the entrance to Sharon Woods Metro Park. The suspect drove into the park, parked in a parking lot and got out of the vehicle holding a gun to his head, according to police. Westerville police and other law enforcement agencies responded to support Genoa police.
Dash camera footage shows officers trying to convince the suspect to put down the gun and surrender, police said. According to McMillin, officers spent around 45 minutes trying to convince the suspect to drop the gun and surrender.
The man "repeatedly set the gun down and stepped away, only to pick it back up, pace, make erratic movements, and return it to his head," McMillin said. At one point, the chief said, the suspect checked the gun's chamber and made statements about hurting people.
At about 1:55 p.m., the suspect dropped the gun, and five officers began approaching him, the footage shows. The suspect suddenly bent over and grabbed the gun again, and a Genoa Township officer fired a Taser device to try and subdue the suspect, but it failed, according to police and video footage. At the same time, another Genoa officer fired a single gunshot, but it did not appear to strike the suspect.
The man then put the gun to his head and fired, the video shows, and he collapses into the grass. Officers and medics rendered aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Genoa Township police have not publicly identified the man as of the evening of Aug. 17.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will be conducting the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, and McMillin deferred all future questions to BCI.
Genoa Township police will be investigating the sexual assault. Police said investigators have found evidence that a rape did occur and that the victim and suspect knew each other.
The suspect "likely planned it well in advance," police said.
“I’m proud of my officers and those from nearby jurisdictions who responded,” McMillin said. “They spent 45 minutes trying to save the life of a man they believed had just committed a violent crime. That’s the kind of officers who serve this township and our community.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Suspect in Genoa Twp. officer-involved shooting died by suicide, video shows
