Ravenna officers shoot suspect using human shield technique

Two police officers in Ravenna, Ohio, are on paid administrative leave after a fatal shooting incident involving a 48-year-old man named Shawn Ware. The officers shot Ware after he allegedly pointed a BB gun at them and used a 911 caller as a human shield. The incident occurred early Sunday morning. Officers were called to an apartment complex after a 911 caller reported that Ware had threatened him with a gun. Upon arrival, officers found Ware sitting on the floor of the apartment, holding what turned out to be a BB gun. When Officer Brock Wise and Sergeant Chris Coy approached, they ordered Ware to drop the weapon. However, Ware stood up and pointed the gun at Wise, yelling at the officers. Concerned that the weapon might be real, Wise informed Coy as they took cover in the hallway. Moments later, Ware emerged from the apartment with the 911 caller, forcing him ahead as a shield. The caller managed to escape, and officers then demanded Ware drop the gun. Warehouse responded defiantly, and the situation escalated quickly. Body camera footage captured the officers firing eight shots in response. Ware was given first aid but was pronounced dead later that morning. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now looking into the shooting, which is standard procedure. The findings will be sent to the Portage County prosecutor’s office once the investigation is finished.