AKRON, Ohio — The Springfield Township Police Department has confirmed to 3News that an officer fatally shot a 38-year-old man at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The shooting happened after police officers were following up on an investigation of a zoning law violation in the 2300 block of East Waterloo Road in Akron.
While conducting the investigation, the property owner in Springfield Township allegedly shot at the officers. Officers fired shots at the suspect in response to the initial firing.
"I was like right out there and I saw the police officer get in his stance and I saw him return fire," neighbor Chris Dennis told 3News' Lydia Esparra. "You don't expect to see a shootout in your front yard."
Another witness told Esparra that when police fired back, the man fell into the weeds, knocking off his glasses. Officers did administer first aid.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office identified the property owner as 38-year-old Jeremy McCracken. His cause of death was a gunshot wound to the torso.
None of the officers that were shot at were injured during the incident.
Neighbor Andrea Dalton says the township has been warning residents about unnecessary rubbish. "Twice a year they have community cleanup," she explained. "They already took two cars last fall and this third one."
The "third one" belonged to McCracken. A tow truck was apparently set to remove his car, causing him to fire at police.
"He was shooting and he just hit the ground with all the cops and then everything happened from there," Dalton added. She told 3News that McCracken had previously built a shed to cover the vehicle.
Josh McCracken says police had been hassling his twin brother for years. He adds that their father had moved out of the area for that same reason.
Josh believes his brother had enough.
The Springfield Township Police Department confirmed that the officers are being placed on mandatory administrative leave, which is the department's policy for officer-involved shootings.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will be handling the investigation.
No other information has been released at this time. Stick with 3News as we learn more about this developing story.
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