MANSFIELD (UPDATED 4 p.m.) — The suspect involved in the I-71 incident is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a press release.
Around 11 a.m. this morning, a shooting took place in the rest area on I-71 in Delaware County.
Highway Patrol Lt. Marcus Pirrone said that a man and a woman pulled into the rest stop on northbound I-71 in Delaware County, and the woman waited in the car while the man went to the restroom. When the man returned, he was shot six times by a suspect sitting on a nearby park bench. The suspect headed north on I-71.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies located the suspect vehicle and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit came to an end after the suspect’s vehicle drove over road spikes and crashed into a guardrail on I-71 northbound in Richland County, a press release says.
Troopers then surrounded the vehicle. Once contact was made with the suspect, he was discovered to be deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to law enforcement.
The name of the suspect is being withheld pending notification to next of kin. The victim whose name is also being withheld is currently listed in critical condition at a local hospital.
No officers were injured as a result of the incident.
I-71 northbound near milepost 172 remains closed at this time. Southbound lanes of I-71 are reopened. The interstate was closed between mile marker 169 at Ohio 13 and mile marker 176 at U.S. 30.
Mansfield man Billy Erhart stood outside his home on Mansfield-Lucas Road Sunday afternoon and watched as sheriff’s deputies directed traffic across the bridge that passes over I-71.
The incident was visible from the bridge, but law enforcement would not allow anyone on it unless they were just passing through to ensure people’s safety.
Erhart said the incident had been ongoing for the past couple hours. “I just heard a lot of sirens and of course traffic was stopped,” he said.
