FREEDOM TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — A high school, multiple businesses and a surrounding neighborhood were sheltered in place after a shooting happened early Friday afternoon in Portage County.
Around 12:30 p.m., the Portage County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a call of a reported shooting in the area of State Route 303 and State Route 88. When patrol deputies arrived at the scene, they found a male who had been shot in the side.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital; his condition is not known at this time.
During the Sheriff’s Office investigation, they were able to identify the shooter as John Swigart, of Ravenna.
Officials say Swigart left the area on foot, at which time Garfield High School and the Shalersville branch of Bio-Med were notified and placed on a soft lockdown. Residents and businesses in the area were told to shelter in place while officials worked to find Swigart.
Deputies got a tip that Swigart was at a home in Shalersville Township. Once the information was confirmed, the Portage County Tactical Response Team and negotiators arrived at the scene to negotiate with the suspect inside the home.