COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Latest on two Ohio police officers shot to death (all times local):
4:25 p.m.
A federal agent says tips from the community, social media posts and a gun trace led to the arrest of a man accused of providing the weapon used to kill two Ohio police officers.
Ronald Herndon is the assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Columbus. He said Monday that the agency pursued the information following Saturday’s fatal shooting of the Westerville police department officers.
The information led to the arrest of Gerald Lawson. He is accused of selling a gun last summer to Quentin Smith, who has been charged with shooting the two officers.
The 30-year-old Lawson made a brief appearance in federal court Monday where he was not required to enter a plea. A bond hearing is set for Wednesday.
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2:25 p.m.
Records show the man accused of fatally shooting two Ohio police officers beat up a fellow inmate while in prison.
The records obtained by The Associated Press on Monday show 30-year-old suspect Quentin Smith admitted to beating up the inmate at Richland Correctional Institution in 2011 while imprisoned on a burglary charge.
The records show Smith punched and kicked an inmate while the inmate was the ground. Smith was punished with 15 days in a cell segregated from the general population.
The prison system says Smith was sentenced to three years in prison in 2009 on a burglary conviction out of Cleveland with an added enhancement of having a gun.
He left prison in 2011 and was released from parole, called community control in Ohio, in November 2013.
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1:45 p.m.
The bodies of two Ohio police officers fatally shot over the weekend have been transported to funeral homes in the suburban Columbus community they served.
Hundreds of people lined streets and highway overpasses Monday as the bodies were taken to the city of Westerville, northeast of Columbus.
People honoring the officers included schoolchildren, community members and firefighters.
Police escorted the bodies of 39-year-old Eric Joering and 54-year-old Anthony Morelli from a county coroner’s office to separate funeral homes.
The officers were shot Saturday while responding to a 911 hang-up call at a townhome where 30-year-old suspect Quentin Smith was wounded.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien says Smith could be eligible for the death penalty because the victims were police officers killed in the line of duty.
1:20 p.m.
The government has arrested a man accused of providing the gun used in the fatal shooting of two Ohio police officers.
Federal prosecutors say Gerald Lawson of suburban Cleveland is accused of buying the handgun for shooting suspect Quentin Smith last summer.
A criminal complaint filed against Lawson in federal court Monday says Smith gave Lawson the money to buy the gun along with $100 for completing the transaction.
It was not clear whether a lawyer had been appointed yet for Lawson. He was due in federal court Monday afternoon.
As a felon convicted previously of burglary, Smith was prevented from having a weapon.
The government says Lawson and Smith were longtime friends, and that Lawson knew Smith couldn’t have a weapon.
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1 p.m.
An Ohio bankruptcy lawyer says he’s shocked and devastated by news that his client is accused of fatally shooting two police officers.
Columbus attorney Mark Herder says suspect Quentin Smith was always personable and cooperative during discussions about Smith’s bankruptcy case.
Records show the 30-year-old Smith and his wife, Candace, owed nearly $120,000 at the time of bankruptcy filing last summer.
Herder said Monday the federal bankruptcy system does not vet applicants for criminal backgrounds.
Herder said the couple successfully completed all requirements of the bankruptcy proceedings.
Authorities say Smith shot and killed two officers from Westerville in suburban Columbus on Saturday as the officers responded to a 911 hang-up call at a townhome.
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11:55 a.m.
A charitable fund created for the families of two slain Ohio police officers has raised more than $270,000 in a day.
The GoFundMe site organized by a central Ohio Fraternal Order of Police chapter was created after Saturday’s fatal shooting of the officers from Westerville in suburban Columbus.
The FOP says the money will go toward unpaid medical bills, funeral expenses, housing for out-of-town relatives attending funerals and educational resources for children.
Police on Monday were slated to escort the bodies of 39-year-old Eric Joering and 54-year-old Anthony Morelli from a coroner’s office to separate funeral homes.
The officers were shot Saturday while responding to a 911 hang-up call at a townhome where the 30-year-old suspect was wounded.
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9:30 a.m.
Flags will be flown at half-staff around Ohio to honor two police officers killed in suburban Columbus.
Gov. John Kasich’s (KAY’-siks) order about flags at public properties applies until the officers are interred.
It was issued Monday, hours before Westerville police were slated to escort the bodies of 39-year-old Eric Joering and 54-year-old Anthony Morelli from a coroner’s office to separate funeral homes. Officials invited the public to line the route.
Westerville police haven’t announced funeral details.
The officers were shot Saturday while responding to a 911 hang-up call at a townhome where the 30-year-old suspect was wounded.
Officials said Sunday that suspect Quentin Smith was hospitalized in stable condition and expected to survive.
He’s charged with aggravated murder. Municipal court records didn’t show an attorney for him.
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8:30 a.m.
An Ohio police department will escort the bodies of two slain officers as they’re moved from a coroner’s office to separate funeral homes.
Police in the Columbus suburb of Westerville haven’t announced funeral details for the veteran officers, 39-year-old Eric Joering and 54-year-old Anthony Morelli.
Officials invited the public to line the route as the bodies are transported Monday to honor the officers.
They were shot Saturday while responding to a 911 hang-up call at a townhome where the 30-year-old suspect was wounded.
Officials said Sunday that suspect Quentin Smith was hospitalized in stable condition and expected to survive.
Columbus police handling the investigation charged Smith with aggravated murder. Municipal court records didn’t show an attorney for him.
Records show police previously went to the home for domestic violence calls.
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