CINCINNATI – Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers shot and killed a suspect in a reported attack at the Cincinnati FBI office during a standoff Thursday afternoon.
At 3:42 p.m., the man raised a gun at law enforcement and officers shot the man, who succumbed to his injuries on Smith Road, north of I-71 , the Ohio State Highway Patrol said at a news conference Thursday evening.
We’re hearing an update from the State Highway Patrol right now. He says negotiations with the suspect in the Clinton Co. standoff. they were unsuccessful and the officers shot and killed him when they exchanged gunfire. @SpectrumNews1OH pic.twitter.com/wnNF5IMIIe
— Michelle Alfini (@MichelleAlf) August 11, 2022
The patrol said shots were exchanged as the man exited his vehicle Thursday afternoon before the man was killed.
The incident happened in a rural area of Smith Road near Van Trees Road in Clinton County.
The man’s identity was not released pending confirmation, according to the patrol.
No officers or passers-by were injured.
The incident caused I-71 to be closed to traffic initially, but was reopened to traffic shortly after 2 p.m. after being closed in both directions between state routes 73 and 68 when the crash occurred. stopped
Once the situation was contained to the specific perimeter of Smith Road, traffic was once again allowed on the roadway.
Traffic is moving back up I-71. It has been closed for hours due to a standoff on nearby Smith Rd. No word from officials if the standoff is still ongoing, but we were last told it was contained to a specific perimeter. @SpectrumNews1OH pic.twitter.com/ocfHhT8PmT
— Michelle Alfini (@MichelleAlf) August 11, 2022
FBI Cincinnati said the manhunt and standoff began when a gunman tried to breach its visitor screening facility around 9 a.m. Thursday and then fled the scene.
At a news conference at 1:30 p.m., the FBI said the State Highway Patrol was told the suspect was traveling in a white Ford Crown Victoria, which a trooper saw traveling northbound on I- 71 in Warren County.
The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop at 9:37 a.m. and a pursuit followed the attempt.
The suspect reportedly fired shots during the chase and exited I-71 onto State Route 73 and headed east.
The chase continued east on Smith Road and stopped near Van Trees Road in Clinton County, where gunfire was again exchanged between the suspect and pursuing officers.
According to Clinton County Emergency Management, law enforcement “exchanged gunfire with a male suspect wearing a gray shirt and body armor.”
Officials said the man showed up at the Kenwood office and when they tried to enter the building, an alarm went off. Officers then responded, leading to a foot chase on I-71 where the suspect fled.
There was a one-mile radius blockade between the intersection of Smith Road and Center Road. Officials urged residents and businesses in that area to lock their doors and remain vigilant.
FBI Cincinnati tweeted at 11:50 a.m. that the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement were on scene near Wilmington, Ohio, to resolve the incident
The #FBIOhio State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement partners are near Wilmington, OH trying to resolve this critical incident.
— FBI Cincinnati (@FBICincinnati) August 11, 2022
This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Multimedia reporter Michelle Alfini and digital producer Bryce Shreve contributed to this report.
