(VIDEO) Rittman Police Officer Killed, Three Others Dead After Wayne County Ohio Shooting Turns Into Gunfight

RITTMAN, Ohio — A Rittman police officer was killed and two other officers were injured after responding officers came under gunfire during a shooting that left four people dead overnight in this small northeast Ohio city, according to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

Wayne County Sheriff Tom Ballinger said dispatchers received a 911 call around 9:30 p.m. Sunday reporting a disturbance and shots fired in the area near North Metzger Avenue and Saurer Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they immediately came under fire, Ballinger said.

"Officers responded to the area and immediately started taking fire," Ballinger told reporters Sunday night. "At this point in time, we have lost an officer in the line of duty and two others have been injured."

The officer killed was a member of the Rittman Police Department, according to multiple law enforcement sources, though Ballinger did not initially confirm which agency the fallen officer belonged to during his first public remarks. Two additional officers were injured and taken to area hospitals for treatment. A Wayne County Sheriff's Office K-9 was also wounded during the confrontation.

According to Ballinger, the suspect was found dead inside a home at the scene, along with two other victims. In total, four people died in the incident: the officer, the suspect and two other victims described only as civilians. Authorities have not released the identities of the officer, the suspect or the other victims, pending notification of family members.

"We'll have maybe a statement later, but right now, just no questions at this time," Ballinger said as investigators began working to secure the scene in the overnight hours.

The shooting triggered a large-scale law enforcement response that included officers and deputies from multiple agencies across northeast Ohio, among them the Rittman, Wooster and Smithville police departments and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation and is expected to process the crime scene, collect forensic evidence, interview witnesses and review body camera footage as it works to determine exactly how the shooting unfolded.

Television news crews at the scene Monday morning reported seeing at least six law enforcement vehicles towed away, including patrol cars from the Rittman Police Department, a Wayne County Sheriff's K-9 vehicle, and vehicles belonging to the Wooster and Smithville police departments. Several of the vehicles were reported to have visible bullet holes.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol's Wooster post asked residents to stay away from the area near Rittman High School as the emergency response continued overnight, and a broader lockdown affected part of the city as investigators worked the scene.

The scale of the incident prompted county officials to declare a mass casualty event, drawing in additional emergency resources from neighboring Medina County. In a statement, the Medina County Firefighters Association confirmed that first responders from the county had been called in to assist after multiple people were injured in Wayne County, while other crews shifted to cover calls in southern Medina County to maintain normal emergency coverage during the response. The association urged the public to stay out of the affected area and asked residents to keep the responders in their thoughts.

Rittman is a small city of roughly 6,100 residents situated along the border of Wayne and Medina counties in northeast Ohio. The community, like many small towns in the region, maintains a modest local police force that regularly coordinates with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and surrounding municipal departments on major incidents.

Law enforcement agencies across Ohio have offered condolences following news of the officer's death, with tributes expected once the fallen officer's identity is officially released. Authorities have not disclosed the suspect's identity, a possible motive, or whether any additional individuals were involved in the incident. Investigators have also not said what led to the initial disturbance call that prompted officers to respond to the area.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which routinely leads inquiries into officer-involved shootings and other major law enforcement incidents in the state, will be responsible for determining the sequence of events that led to the officer's death and the deaths of the suspect and the two other victims. Investigators are expected to examine forensic evidence gathered from the scene, along with witness accounts and any available surveillance or body camera footage, as part of a broader effort to reconstruct what happened in the moments before officers began taking fire.

As of Monday morning, multiple law enforcement agencies remained on scene, continuing to process evidence and secure the area. Officials have not provided a timeline for when the investigation might conclude or when further details about the victims might be released.

The incident marks one of the more significant law enforcement tragedies in the region in recent memory, with a single overnight shooting resulting in the death of an officer alongside three other individuals, and additional officers and a police K-9 among the injured. Community members in Rittman and surrounding areas have been asked to avoid the immediate vicinity of the shooting while the investigation continues, as authorities work to provide additional updates in the coming days.

This is a developing story, and further details, including the identities of those killed and injured, are expected to be released by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation as the investigation progresses.