Police respond after man threatens suicide via Facebook

Staff report

COLUMBIANA

A California man called city police early Monday after seeing a suicide note his friend posted on Facebook.

Police were called to a Hawkins Lane address after Jesse Rapp, 28, posted the note, according to a news release from police.

Police also received information there was at least one gun and one to two other people were inside.

A Facebook picture obtained by police shows Rapp photographing himself holding a large handgun.

Police arrived on scene about 1:15 a.m. Monday and tried unsuccessfully to contact Rapp by phone.

An officer knocked at the front door and a woman identified as Rapp’s mother, Debra Leffel, 53, opened the door with Rapp standing next to her with a large pistol in his hand.

Police ordered him to drop the weapon, but Rapp began yelling obscenities and telling police to get off his property. Rapp then slammed the door and a brief standoff began.

Police were assisted by Beaver and Springfield township police and a team from the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Department. Rapp threatened to shoot either himself or police if police didn’t leave his property.

Rapp fired a single round from a large-caliber handgun through the front window of the house toward one of the areas where police officers and vehicles were deployed. No police were struck by the bullet.

Rapp then said he was going to send his mother out with the gun. Leffel came out the door with the gun in her hand and followed police commands to put the weapon down and come toward officers.

Rapp began yelling at police about issuing commands to his mother and he came charging out of the house and confronted police.

Columbiana police used a stun weapon to bring Rapp into custody when he refused to comply with officers.

Rapp was taken to Columbiana County Jail. He is charged with aggravated menacing, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of using weapons while intoxicated and resisting arrest.