Breaking News: There are reports of an active shooter situation in Kirkersville, Ohio.
An active shooter killed two employees inside a nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio, and then shot the village’s new police chief to death outside.
Ohio’s governor called the shooting “horrific.” Police chief Steven Eric Disario, 36, was shot, and possibly ambushed.
Slain #Kirkersville Ohio police chief has ties to area t.co/8VdZGOjavQ
“Two nursing home workers were also found dead,” NBC News reported.
The suspect, who was from Utica, is also dead.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Gunman Shot Two Women Inside a Nursing Home
CONFIRMED to our crews on scene – a law enforcement officer has been shot here in Kirkersville. Details on @wsyx6 & @fox28columbus
According to 10TV, two women were shot and killed, in addition to the police chief, as the shooting unfolded. Both were employees of the nursing home, reports NBC. Their names have not yet been released.
Two victims were female Sheriff says Coroner will release names ASAP #Kirkersville t.co/SRriW9FHht
The shooting was reported at Pine Kirk Care Center, a nursing home, around 7:30 a.m. The situation was under control by 10 a.m., reported Fox 8.
Sarah Sims, 23, who works at the nursing home, told WHIO that she was in the basement when she heard “loud bangs.” She barricaded the door, called 911, and was advised to stay “calm,” the television station reports.
Kirkersville is a village that is located about a half hour from Columbus, Ohio. It’s not yet clear whether the shooter had any ties to the nursing home or why he targeted it.
The gunman was found dead inside the nursing home, but it’s not yet clear whether he committed suicide, CNN reported.
2. Disario Was ‘Ambushed’ & Left Behind Six Children
ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION: Investigators – Kirkersville police officer shot. Injuries unknown. Situation is CONTAINED.
Disario was ambushed by the shooter, according to 10TV.
According to NBC News, Disario “responded to a report of a man with a gun around 7:45 a.m.” and then “engaged with the alleged shooter,” radioing that “he had the suspect in his sights.’
However, arriving officers found Disario lying in the street.
NBC reported that Disario “was a father of six with a child ‘on the way,’ and had only been the police chief for three weeks. According to The Dayton Daily News, Disario and his wife, Aryn, “are a blended family each with kids from previous relationships.They have one child together and Aryn is pregnant, ready to give birth any day now.”
The newspaper reported that Aryn Disario called a relative “in fear because she knew her husband was on duty and couldn’t get any information on the shooting.”
The chief was initially listed in critical condition, according to the television station. Then came the tragic reports he had died. According to WHIO, Disario “engaged the gunman near the rear of the nursing home.”
Sources reporting the officer shot in today’s shooting has died. #Kirkersville FULL DETAILS t.co/2YwA37sZME
A person who lives near the nursing home told ABC6 that he heard “multiple shots.”
3. The Shooter Was ‘Neutralized’ After Taking Hostages in the Woods
Shortly after news of the shooting flew around Twitter, it was reported that the shooter was “neutralized” or down.
However, before that report, a tense situation unfolded in which the “gunman for a period of time prior to the shooting did have two hostages in a wooded area that were not harmed,” reported WHIO.
Lt. Robert Sellers of the Ohio Highway Patrol told The Newark Advocate: “There is no threat to the public. The situation has concluded.”
It’s believed the shooter shot himself, according to 10News. Police have not yet released any details about the shooter’s identity or motive on the morning of May 12, as the situation was still very fluid.
4. Ohio’s Governor John Kasich Said He Was ‘Shocked & Pained’ by the Shooting
#ActiveShooter neutralized at Pine Kirk Care Center in Kirkersville, Ohio. A police officer is among the wounded.
John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, released a statement as the tragedy unfolded.
“Shocked & pained by the horrific shooting in Kirkersville, ask for prayers for those injured. Grateful for law enforcement’s quick response,” the Ohio governor wrote on Twitter.
5. The Local Elementary School Was Locked Down
The Latest: Shooting inside Pine Kirk Care Center in #Kirkersville OH FULL DETAILS t.co/6YMRHCJm21
Although it appears students there were never at actual risk, as a precaution, the Kirkersville Elementary School was locked down.
Parents were informed they could pick up their children at a middle school, Fox 8 reports.
The school spokesman told The Newark Advocate that “all the students at Kirkersville Elementary were on the buses when the situation started and diverted to Watkins Middle School.”
The school was closed for the day after the shooting.