BUCYRUS — A Centerburg man was arrested after a shootout with police in Bucyrus on Friday, according to Bucyrus Police Capt. Tom Walker.
Jacob D. Davidson, 38, of Centerburg, was arrested after he allegedly shot at Bucyrus Police officers during a confrontation on Friday afternoon, authorities stated.
“Make no mistake, this was a terrifying event,” Walker said. “Our community came very close to losing two police officers today.
“By the grace of God, sound tactics, excellent training, and good judgment prevailed.”
Walker described the officers’ actions as being “nothing short of heroic.”
“Thanks to brave officer willingness to stand in the gap for our community, citizens are safer, and the suspect is in jail,” he added.
The Bucyrus Police Department released the following update from the incident on its Facebook page:
At approximately 4:35 pm Friday, officers from the Bucyrus Police Department were involved in a shootout with an armed suspect. No local citizens, officers, or the suspect were injured. The suspect is in custody.
The Bucyrus Police Department was made aware of a random shooting that had occurred in Morrow County at approximately 4:16 p.m. At 4:28 pm, a vehicle description was provided by deputies who had responded to that scene.
The suspect vehicle reportedly fled northbound from the Morrow County area, and there was at least one person injured during that incident.
It was originally reported there were two suspects in the vehicle. Both were considered armed and dangerous.
While scouring the city in search of the suspect vehicle, a Bucyrus Officer spotted a silver Honda SUV in the 100 block of E. Charles St. He saw what appeared to be recent bullet damage to the rear of the vehicle and saw the driver was wearing a silver helmet with a rifle in his lap.
Officers attempted to conduct a felony stop in the 200 block of W. Charles St. Before officers could get in position, the suspect (Jacob D. Davidson, 38, Centerburg) opened fire on officers.
One officer was able to get out of his cruiser and return fire. It appears a singular round struck the suspect in his helmet, causing him to take cover in his front seat and quickly surrender to officers.
A subsequent vehicle search yielded two rifles, magazines, and ammunition. Officers also located the silver helmet worn by Mr. Davidson, with a single bullet hole in it. The Honda’s driver-side headrest had a thick block of wood attached that appeared to serve as some level of protection for the suspect.
“This investigation is just beginning,” said Capt. Tom Walker, Public Information Officer for the Bucyrus Police Department. “At this point, we know very little about our suspect, other than he claimed to be a Marine veteran.”
“While Mr. Davidson is the likely suspect from the Morrow County incident where someone was shot, we cannot confirm this until the evidence is evaluated by the Ohio Bureau of criminal Investigations (BCI),” Capt. Walker said. “There was no other suspect in the vehicle at the time of the incident in Bucyrus.”
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and Bucyrus EMS assisted BPD at the scene. BCI is handling the investigation into the shooting.
Though the shootout occurred in a highly populated, residential area, there was no injury to local citizens and no damage to homes. The intersection of West Charles and South Spring was closed for several hours after the incident.
Chief Assenheimer said, “I’m very proud of all of Bucyrus PD’s employees. Officers and dispatchers handled this difficult incident professionally.”
Officers canvassed the immediate area to speak with potential witnesses. As part of the ongoing investigation, if anyone was in that area and saw something, please contact Bucyrus Detectives at 419-562-1006.
BPD will release more information as it becomes available. The Department would like to thank CCSO, Bucyrus EMS, BCI, and all agencies involved with this investigation. They also would like to thank the community for their overwhelming support and continued prayers.
The Bucyrus Police Department would like to thank the community for their patience during the investigative process.
