JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — The suspect in an Ohio Amber Alert is dead following a police pursuit and shooting involving law enforcement officers in northeast Ohio on Monday.
An Amber Alert was issued after a 7-year-old girl was reportedly taken by her non-custodial father in Jefferson County. The sheriff's office said the incident took place at 3 p.m. in Empire, located along the eastern Ohio and West Virginia border.
Authorities said 43-year-old Charles Alexander left a family member's house after an altercation and took his daughter, who he did not have custody of.
Around 8 p.m., the Brunswick Police Department in Medina County located Alexander's vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. He did not stop, which led to a pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies on Interstate 71.
Stop sticks were used to disable the vehicle. Authorities said Alexander got off the state Route 18 exit in Medina Township and stopped in a business parking lot.
Alexander was in contact with dispatch centers over the phone as officers attempted to negotiate with him.
Authorities said multiple gunshots were fired in a shooting involving law enforcement.
Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice said during a press conference on Tuesday that "extensive efforts were made" to negotiate with Alexander, but he continued to make multiple threats against his daughter. That ultimately led to an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper fatally shooting Alexander, officials said.
Authorities said the 7-year-old girl was safely recovered from the scene and was returned to her family.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was requested to handle the investigation.