Ohio officer shoots suspect who fired at police

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

A man accused of riding a stolen bike fled and fired shots at Columbus police officers before an officer shot him dead, police said.

They received a call about a stolen bicycle Friday afternoon, and the female caller pointed them to the man she said was riding her bike.

Police said when they attempted to stop the man, identified as Obbie Shepard, he jumped off the bike, fled on foot and fired shots at them. An officer then confronted and shot him.

Shepard was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting is under investigation.

It was the third straight day police had fired their weapons at someone, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

On Aug. 24, a female officer fatally shot an armed man, 21-year-old Francis Owens, who was wrestling with her partner after a fight involving about a dozen people.

The next day, officers fired at a 26-year-old man with a gun. The man was not injured and was later arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a gun as a felon, receiving stolen property and aggravated menacing.

Police have been involved in six shootings in the month of August, compared with six for the rest of 2011.