Ashtabula sheriff says suspect shot when refused to show hands, had gun

Associated Press

ASHTABULA

A Northeast Ohio sheriff says an armed-robbery suspect was fatally shot by deputies because he refused to show his hands and “brandished” a handgun.

A Wednesday statement from Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson identifies the suspect as 36-year-old Michael Martin, of Rome Township. The sheriff says Martin robbed a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint about 3 a.m. Tuesday in Rock Creek, and a deputy spotted Martin’s car at the home of a former girlfriend in New Lyme Township around 7:30 a.m.

Three more deputies arrived at home and confronted Martin, who was sitting in a vehicle with a woman. Johnson says deputies opened fire because they feared for their lives when Martin brandished a gun. The 25-year-old passenger wasn’t hurt.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating.