Another example of Scioto County’s spiraling mental health crisis, a Franklin Furnace man is behind bars after law enforcement said he pointed a shotgun at deputies during a standoff in Wheelersburg on Monday night.
SCDN broke the story of the frightening incident right after it happened. Now we have new details.
Around 7 pm, a frantic mom called 9-1-1 to report her son was having a mental health crisis. She said he forced his way into her Bussey Road home and was attempting to retrieve guns from the house.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they were unable to contact the man inside. The worried mom opened the garage door to allow deputies inside. Officers headed to the basement to search for the son and heard the sound of a shotgun being racked. The man then pointed the weapon at deputies.
Officers left the home, moved the mom to a secure location, and secured a perimeter around the house. Sheriff David Throroughman took command of the scene, and officers from PPD and OSP arrived for backup. They then began to attempt to negotiate for the troubled man to surrender. During the course of the standoff, he fired a weapon from the basement that went through a closet door and ricocheted into the wall.
After an hour of negotiations, the man exited the home with a pistol in his hand. He placed the weapon on top of a vehicle and surrendered.
Deputies took 28-year-old Zachary Cunningham into custody for using weapons while intoxicated, criminal trespass, improperly discharging a firearm in a home, aggravated menacing, domestic violence, and unlawful restraint.
Ten years ago, Cunningham’s proud mother posted images of him in his football uniform ahead of his high school graduation and congratulated him on another successful season as a competitive swimmer. Cunningham has no criminal record other than a DUI and a failure to control citation from 5 years ago.
He is currently held on a $68,250 bond after appearing in Portsmouth Municipal Court on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. According to Sheriff David Thoroughman, Cunningham could face additional charges.