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Man shot dead by Akron police after allegedly killing his wife

Posted at 5:43 PM, Aug 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-12 08:51:19-04

A 49-year-old man, who authorities say fatally shot his wife early Saturday morning, was later killed in an officer-involved shooting with Akron police.

The man was identified as a suspect in a homicide that happened overnight in the 1300 block of Carey Avenue around 3:30 a.m. 

A woman called the police and said her brother-in-law woke her up to tell her he just shot his wife, authorities said. The woman said the man told her he shot his wife in the basement and he wanted her to check on her. When the man left to go to the basement, the woman and another resident ran from the house and called the police. 

The caller told officers that her brother-in-law was bi-polar and suffered from depression, police said. She also said her brother-in-law made threats that he would harm himself or others if police approached him.

SWAT converged on the home a short time later and after a search, located the body of a 45-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the head. Her body was found inside a camper in the backyard. 

Police said they were notified a few hours later by a nearby resident, Terri Hastings, that the suspect tried to force open her porch door, but then asked to use her phone. He fled before authorities arrived.

"There was a man just standing there who had just broken into my front door," Hastings said. "We both just kind of froze. He said, 'I got to you your phone.' All I said was, 'no get out of here!' It was very startling. You're not even awake yet and you see a stranger at your door half-way into your home."

Around 6:30 a.m. another person reported that he was flagged down by the suspect on Swinehart Avenue. The man drove the suspect to a nearby gas station. When the driver got out of the vehicle the suspect carjacked him at gunpoint and drove off in his Hyundai Sonata, police said.

Around 9 a.m. the suspect showed up on his brother's porch in the 1100 block of McIntosh Avenue and held a gun to his own head. The man left but went inside Paul King's home where King confronted the man with a shotgun, according to police.

"He was apologizing to me," King said. "Had he raised his gun I would have had to kill him. He said the cops were looking for him and he wanted to get out of town. He said he wasn't leaving the house until the cops left."

King and his girlfriend then eventually retreated to the back of their house while the man tried exiting the front. The man was greeted by Akron police who ordered the man to surrender and drop his weapon. However, the man refused to do so and tried to flee the area, according to police. That's when the officers fired at the man, striking him.

"I wish that situation out there would not have happened," King said. "I was hoping he was going to be smart enough to give himself up but he said he wasn't not going back to prison."

The suspect was shot near the corner of Kohler Avenue and 25th Street Southwest. A handgun was found near the suspect. 

The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries.

The Hyundai was found in the driveway of the suspect's brother's house on McIntosh Avenue, authorities said.

King said he knew the man through a mutual friend. However, he was not aware that the man had allegedly killed his own wife prior to barging into King's home.

"It's a guy I've known for a few years. He married a friend of mine. I found out later he shot her dead a few hours prior. It blew my mind," King said.

The names of the suspect and his wife have not been released.

A 15-year veteran and a 2-and-a-half-year veteran of Akron police who were involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy.

The shooting is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

This was the second officer-involved shooting in Akron in less than 24-hours. Friday night a 30-year-old man was injured during a confrontation with police.

RELATED: 30-year-old man critically injured in officer-involved shooting in Akron