Man threatening suicide remains inside home
Police de-escalate 3 incidents in two days involving 'mentally agitated' people armed with guns
MILAN TWP. — One man who threatened to kill himself remains inside his home in the area of Mason Road and Ohio 13 today, but his young son was safely removed and deputies continue monitoring the home.
It’s been a rough past couple days like that, Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth said. Local law enforcement is being credited with preventing potential tragedy after successfully de-escalating that incident and two others involving armed individuals experiencing mental health crises.
Waiting out a person in situations like the one happening now on Mason Road is the right way to handle it, said Sigsworth, who has waited out some suspects for 20 hours or more in past incidents.
Sigsworth described it as an intense period of “heightened awareness.” the last two days. All three individuals were “mentally agitated” and armed with firearms, threatening violence.
3 Incidents
1. “Suicide by Cop” Threat (Mason Road/Route 13 area) The first incident earlier today involved a man distraught over a job rejection. After being turned down for a position at a local library, the man allegedly sent a threatening email stating his intent to commit “suicide by cop.” Deputies responded to his home in the 10000 block of Route 13. The man’s son was in the house, officers learned, and they were able to coordinate with the child’s mother to safely remove the boy before engaging with the father. Officers chose to de-escalate the situation and monitor the residence rather than force a violent confrontation.
2. The Highway Stand-off (US Route 250) Shortly after that, reports came in of a man staggering up Route 250 near Great Lakes Electric. Callers reported the man dropped a handgun and picked it back up. When a deputy arrived, the man reportedly held the gun to his own head before fleeing into a nearby field. Following a brief standoff, the “officers took the man into custody without injury. He was transported to a local emergency room for a suspected overdose and is expected to face criminal charges following a psychiatric evaluation.
3. Gunfire in Huron (Berlin Road) In Huron, police responded to a residence in the 300 block of Berlin Road after a counselor reported a man was agitated because his wife was leaving him. The man had allegedly threatened to “shoot any cops” who arrived. StayTunedSandusky made a records request for a report of the incident today.
System under strain
“Thank God we were able to get them in custody without anybody getting shot in the last two days,” Sigsworth said. “Three mentally ill, 3 agitated... people with guns.”
EHOVE Career Center locked down for about 20 minutes beginning at about 1 p.m. It was a precautionary measure requested by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.