A suspect has been arrested after law enforcement agents surrounded a North Canton apartment building where a woman was shot and police were shot at while rescuing her.
North Canton Police Major Matthew Buzzard held a news conference early Thursday afternoon to clarify what had occurred. Watch the complete press conference below:
North Canton police provide an update on the apartment shooting.
The defendant, 38-year-old Brian Keith Francisco II, is charged with three charges of felonious assault, two counts of improperly discharging a firearm at or into a dwelling, and one count of causing alarm. The six charges are all felonies.
Around 8:50 a.m., the Buzzard’s department received a report from Versailles Gardens Apartments, located near Applegrove and Main streets, regarding an injured woman.
The police reported that the rounds originated from a first-floor apartment, traveled through an external hallway, and struck the victim in the wall of another apartment.
Within ten minutes, cops entered the residence and discovered a female gunshot victim.
According to Buzzard, those officers received eight or nine volleys—possibly up to 50 shots—from outside the residence.
The emergency workers inside the flat, three officers and a paramedic, worked together to pull the woman out through a window. She was brought to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital and had surgery. Her current state is unclear.
According to Buzzard, some of the responding officers were former SWAT team members. Buzzard claimed that he heard a gunshot pass by his officers over the radio.
“The fact that over the radio I could hear gunshots whizzing by the radios and none of my guys were hit, and to my knowledge at this time, no other neighboring residents were struck—miracle is the exact right word for it,” Mr. Buzzard added. Fortunately, the two responding officers had received training specifically for such situations.
North Canton Police reported that the culprit “fired blindly through the wall of a neighboring apartment, across an outdoor corridor, and into the victim’s residence.” According to police, the man was paraplegic and used a wheelchair.
A SWAT team was formed shortly after the entrance of government partners such as the FBI and US Marshals.
No cops were hurt.
Police said they discovered an AR-style rifle, a handgun, and a big supply of ammunition in the suspect’s residence.
Residents were advised to shelter in place.
A neighboring neighbor described it as a frightening scene.
“It’s frightening. You never know what’s gonna happen. It’s quite astonishing when you hear about it, especially the random nature you hear of it. That’s what makes it most as astonishing,” the neighbor, Clinton Hinkle, said.
Walsh University issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order, which has now been rescinded.
North Canton Schools went into a soft lockdown.
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