Ohio Nursing Home Shooting Leaves 4 Dead Including Police Chief

The shooter is believed to be dead and there is no ongoing threat.

UPDATED: May 15, 2017, 9:20 a.m. (Pacific)

A shooting at a nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio left four people dead Friday, including the shooter and the small town’s police chief.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident, which occurred at Pine Kirk Care Center in central Ohio.

The victims have been identified as 36-year-old Kirkersville Police Chief Steven Eric Disario, nurse Marlina Medrano, 46, and nurse’s aide Cindy Krantz, 48. The gunman has been identified as Thomas Hartless, 43.

Court records show he had a history of violence, including violence against Medrano, reports CBS News. She had obtained a civil protection order against Hartless. The gunman had been released from jail in April after he attacked Medrano March 6. In 2009, he served time for the abduction of a woman.

Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp released some information about the incident. Thorp said Disario was the first person to respond to a report of a person with a gun at the nursing home. His last radio communication indicated he had a visual on the suspect.

When additional officers arrived, they found Disario deceased in the street.

Medrano, Krantz and Hartless were discovered inside the nursing home, reports wlwt.com.

Disario, 36, had been the police chief for about three weeks. He leaves behind six children.

During the shooting, some of the nursing home residents barricaded themselves in rooms and sheltered in place.

Nearby Kirkersville Elementary School went on lockdown following initial reports and students were taken to Watkins Middle School.

Kirkersville is a small village in central Ohio. It had a population of 525 in 2010.

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