MARION — A Bucyrus man was hospitalized in Columbus and listed in critical condition Wednesday afternoon after a Tuesday afternoon shootout with a Marion Police officer and a Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy, according to a police press release.
A Marion woman was also shot in the incident, but her wounds are not life-threatening, according to Lt. B.J. Gruber, of the Marion Police Department.
Marion Police say Matthew W. Lust, 33, of Bucyrus, shot his ex-girlfriend at approximately 4:46 p.m. while in a car in the area of Bain Avenue between South High and South State Streets in Marion. Upon arrival, officers discovered a female suspect sustained gunshot wounds after being fired upon several times. The victim was wounded but it is believed that her injuries are not life-threatening.
It was believed Lust may be headed to an address in the 500 block of Patterson Street to cause harm to a male subject at that location, Gruber stated in the press release. A Marion Police officer and a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputy arrived at that location at 5:18 PM with the intention of alerting the male subject of a potential threat of violence by Lust.
Upon arrival, the Officer and Deputy encountered a male subject at the front of the Patterson Street location which matched Lust’s description following the Bain Avenue shooting. In the initial interaction with law enforcement, Lust presented a firearm which resulted in an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the two law enforcement officers, the press release stated.
Lust was struck and wounded in that exchange. Both the Officer and the Deputy were unharmed. Lust was secured and transported to Marion General Hospital and subsequently flown by MedFlight to a Columbus-area medical facility.
An involved firearm was recovered from the scene of the shooting.
Numerous Marion Police, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol personnel were on scene in the moments following the exchange of gunfire. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called to the scene to assume the lead role in the investigation of the officer involved shooting incident.
The Marion Police officer and the Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy have both been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, consistent with the policies of both agencies for officer involved shootings, the press release stated.
This investigation is still in the very early stages and it is expected that additional details will be released in the coming days as this investigation unfolds.
