MACEDONIA, Ohio — The city of Macedonia is reviewing a case of a police officer shooting an alleged shoplifter over the weekend. The incident is a rarity in the city. In fact, Macedonia had not seen a police shooting in at least three decades prior to Sunday.
Around 5 p.m. on Sunday night, a call came from Best Buy in Macedonia. A man ran out of the store. Police say he was a shoplifter.
The suspect then ran inside the Burlington store nearby.
"Two officers went into Burlington, found the suspect, confronted him about the theft at Best Buy and went to arrest him," explains Lt. Vince Yakopovich of the Macedonia Police Department. "At that time, a struggle ensued and one of the officers discharged his firearm, injuring the suspect."
A Burlington employee tells 3News that the scuffle happened at the front of the store. The suspect was injured, but police administered immediate care.
Yakopovich says Sunday's incident is an isolated one and the Macedonia Commons shopping plaza is safe. Similar shoplifting incidents have been seen across Northeast Ohio.
However, it's been a long time since a Macedonia police officer has had to resort to firing a weapon.
"This is not a typical event in Macedonia," Yakopovich adds. "In April, I will have been here (for) 29 years. This is the first time in my career an officer has discharged his firearm in the line of duty."
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation, although the city of Macedonia says it is also conducting its own review. In the meantime, the suspect who was shot has been treated and released from an area hospital, but has not yet been charged. Investigators say he was captured on multiple cameras that surround the stores and the plaza, so charges are indeed pending.