GALION — Three Crawford County law enforcement agencies teamed to talk down a suicidal male on Wednesday afternoon at 508 Second Ave., according to Galion Police Chief Brian Saterfield.
Galion Police were called to the scene at 12:51 p.m. on the report of a possible suicidal male with a weapon. The call advised that a 73-year old man was despondent, had access to a weapon and was contemplating committing suicide, Saterfield stated.
“Officers of the Galion Police Department responded to the residence and attempted to make phone contact,” the chief said. “We were not able to make contact initially and then received additional information that the male was not going to exit the house to speak with us.”
The Crawford County Special Response Team was activated and a hostage/barricade negotiator from the Bucyrus Police Department responded to the scene.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., a family member came out of the residence and advised where in the house the despondent male was located, Saterfield said.
“Members of the SRT Team made entry into the residence and were able to make contact with the despondent male without incident,” Saterfield said. “No weapons were located in the residence.”
The 73-year-old male was transported to Galion Community Hospital by the Galion EMS where he was being evaluated.
“We took every precaution to assure the safety of our officers, involved persons inside the residence and the neighborhood,” Saterfield said. “Ultimately, the gentleman was safely transported to the hospital and all officers at the scene were safe.”
