NewsLocal NewsAkron Canton News

Actions

U.S. Marshal shot by suspect while serving warrant in Canton; suspect injured by officers' return fire

vlcsnap-2021-03-24-18h23m59s881.jpg
Posted at 6:26 PM, Mar 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-25 10:57:50-04

CANTON, Ohio — A U.S. Marshal is recovering after being shot by a suspect while serving a warrant in Canton Wednesday night, authorities confirmed. The suspect was injured when law enforcement returned fire, and he is in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

The shooting happened in 1700 block of Regent Avenue at about 5 p.m.

U.S. Marshals were trying to arrest Aaron Pierre Thomas, 33, at a nearby apartment complex.

Authorities said Thomas attempted to break a window out of a second-story home. After breaking the window out, he ran out of the front door of the home and opened fire on the officers on the scene.

A male U.S. Marshal was struck, according to Canton Police Chief Jack Angelo. Officers then returned fire, injuring Thomas.

According to authorities, Thomas had made previous claims that he wanted to die by suicide by police.

Thomas was wanted for aggravated robbery and a felony position charge and was considered to be violent, according to deputies. He's from Virginia.

The U.S. Marshal’s injuries were non-life-threatening.

Both were taken to a Canton hospital, though it is not clear if they were taken to the same hospital, Angelo said.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said the Marshal is expected to fully recover and is back home doing well Thursday.

Thomas is undergoing a second surgery Thursday and is in stable condition at a Canton hospital, Elliott said.

U.S. Marshals plan to pursue federal charges against Thomas, Elliott said.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigations is involved in the investigation.

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.