Four dead in Ohio including police sergeant; 4 other officers shot

Four people, including a police sergeant, are dead after being shot during a late-night break-in at a northern Ohio home on Sunday, July 5, law enforcement said.

Four other law enforcement officers and a police K-9 were also shot as a barrage of bullets flew in Rittman, a city in Wayne County about 20 miles southwest of Akron.

According to a joint statement from Rittman Police Chief Robert Shows, Wayne County Sheriff Thomas Ballinger and Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice, obtained by USA TODAY, at about 10 p.m., Rittman police responded to a 911 call reporting a break-in and shots fired at the home.

During a news conference outside the home, Ballinger said officers responded to the scene and "immediately started taking fire."

As bullets flew, Rittman Police Sgt. Scott Ries was killed in the line of duty, the joint statement reads. He was 54.

Four additional responding officers from local agencies – three with the Medina County Sheriff's Office and one with the Hinckley Police Department – were also struck by gunfire. Two of the officers were transported to a local hospital for treatment and were in stable condition on Monday, July 6, officials said. The other two officers were treated at the scene.

"K9 Vick with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office was also struck by gunfire and remains in serious condition," officials wrote in the statement.

The shooting suspect and two other people Ballinger called victims also died in the shooting.

Wayne County Coroner's Office Chief Investigator Luke Reynolds identified the victims as Christine McWilliams, 43, and her daughter, McKinley McWilliams, 13.

The other person killed was identified as as 38-year-old Brandon Fazekas, Reynolds told USA TODAY. A preliminary autopsy revealed Fazekas died as a result of suicide, the investigator said.

Who was Rittman Police Sgt. Scott Ries?

A 10-year veteran with Rittman police, Ries previously served as a deputy sheriff for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and as an officer for the Sugar Grove Police Department in Fairfield County, officials said.

"A career peace officer, Sgt. Ries dedicated his life to serving and protecting others. He made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his community," Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in a statement. "My prayers are with his family, his fellow officers and everyone at the Rittman Police Department."

Police cruisers left riddled with bullets

Several law enforcement vehicles, including cruisers from the sheriff's office and the Rittman, Wooster and Smithville police departments, appeared to have bullet damage at the scene, according to local TV station News 5 Cleveland.

Additional local and state officials expressed condolences for the officer killed, as well as the other victims.

"Our hearts go out to the Rittman community this morning as they mourn a Rittman officer who was killed responding to a 911 call last night," Akron Mayor Shammas Malik wrote in a post on X. "We're thinking of the loved ones of the victims, the Rittman Police Department, and the entire Wayne County community as they deal with this tragedy."

"Sending prayers to our brothers and sisters in Wayne County," the Fraternal Police of Order of Ohio wrote in a post on Facebook.

Contributing: The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four dead in Ohio including police sergeant; 4 other officers shot

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 7:02 AM.