KENT, Ohio (AP) - Two police officers responding to a report of a break-in at an Ohio home struggled with an armed suspect and were wounded by gunfire along with the suspect, but all are expected to recover, police said.
Police in Kent said a young female called 911 shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday to report an unknown man forcing his way into a home near Kent State University.
Lt. Michael Lewis said arriving city officers found the suspect already inside and immediately became engaged in a “physical struggle” with the suspect, who was armed. Lewis said shots were fired and both officers and the man were hit by gunfire. All were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Lewis said in a video statement that the injuries to the officers were minor and they were expected to make a full recovery. He said the suspect was also shot in the abdomen but he was reported to be out of surgery and also expected to recover.
Lewis said the suspect would be taken into custody after he is discharged and would face charges of aggravated burglary, felonious assault against police officers and possibly other counts.
“We are very grateful that our police officers are going to be OK and we are very grateful that they were able to respond and to keep safe the innocent people who were inside that home at that time,” Lewis said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation will conduct an independent probe of the case, Lewis said.
Kent State sent out alerts cautioning faculty and students to avoid the area because of an “emergency situation” but said it occurred off campus and posed no threat to the campus community, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The scene was a few hundred feat southwest of the campus, the paper said.
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