State agents are investigating an incident that left a woman dead after a Portage County Sheriff’s deputy and Garrettsville police officer responded to a dispute between neighbors in Windham Township.
In a press release, the sheriff’s office did not specify who fired weapons, referring only to “shots.”
But the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now involved in the case. The bureau typically investigates cases in which a law enforcement officer shoots someone.
“BCI was requested by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a fatal officer-involved shooting that occured this morning,” BCI spokesperson Steve Irwin said. “BCI’s crime scene unit and special investigations unit responded.”
The sheriff’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the release, the Saturday morning incident began with a 9:30 a.m. call for a neighbor dispute on the 8000 block of Werger Road. While en route, deputies were apprised that one of the neighbors had a gun.
“Once officers arrived at the scene and began to investigate, shots were fired. One subject was transported to UH Portage Medical Center where they were later pronounced deceased,” according to the release.
Other news sources and residents on social media are describing the deceased person as female. The deputy and the officer were unharmed, according to the release.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.