Armed, sleeping man arrested near Ohio school days after shooting

CINCINNATI (AP) — The arrest of a man found asleep this morning in his car with guns and ammunition added anxiety in an Ohio school district where two students were shot in the cafeteria earlier this week.

Authorities said the man had been drinking, and there was no evidence of any threat to Madison Local Schools. School officials were flooded with calls and social-media queries from anxious parents after the new arrest about a quarter-mile from the campus, where nearly 1,600 students from pre-K through 12th grade attend.

Sheriff Richard Jones said two handguns and a box of ammunition were found in Bryan Miller’s car less than an hour before the scheduled start of classes. Jones said Miller was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and improper handling of a firearm in a car, both misdemeanors.

“We do not know what his intentions were at his time, but we are not taking any chances whatsoever,” Jones said in a statement. He said police have seized the guns and ammunition.

Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said Miller, 23, was apparently visiting acquaintances in the area, but added that Miller said during questioning he was aware of the school shooting Monday.

“It gives us cause for concern,” Dwyer said. “In our line of work, coincidences aren’t favored very well.”

A 14-year-old student arrested in Monday’s shooting is in juvenile detention on charges including attempted murder. James Austin Hancock denied the charges through his attorney in a court appearance Tuesday.