Gunfire Erupts in New Boston Standoff – Suspect Shot After Barricading Himself with Firearm
What started as a routine search for a burglary suspect turned into a dramatic, action-packed standoff that shook the quiet streets near the local Walmart Thursday night.
Around 7 p.m., officers with the Portsmouth Police Department were hot on the trail of a person of interest in a local business break-in. They tracked the suspect to the Walmart parking lot in New Boston, and that’s when things spiraled into chaos.
The suspect took off on foot, and during the chase, pulled a gun on officers. Police responded with gunfire, and the suspect bolted, eventually barricading himself in a backyard on Rhodes Avenue.
Enter a full-on law enforcement siege.
Cops from all over – Portsmouth PD, New Boston Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, BCI, and the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office – locked down the area. The Portsmouth SWAT team was called in and rescued an uninvolved woman and her two young children from the home, while the gunman remained holed up beneath the back porch.
As officers closed in, the suspect opened fire. Police fired back, striking the man. Miraculously, no officers or civilians were injured.
The gunman is currently hospitalized, his condition unknown, and his name still a mystery. The Portsmouth PD told SCDN that the name of the suspect is officially being withheld. As of now, no charges have been officially filed, and no booking has appeared in jail records.
The case remains under investigation, and authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Portsmouth Police Department.
Stay tuned – we’ll have more dirt on Monday when police reports drop, including what crime sparked this wild chase… and just who this backyard bandit really is.
