MEDINA, Ohio (WJW) — A statewide Amber Alert has come to a deadly end in Medina County after a police-involved shooting.
The 7-year-old girl who was abducted in Southeast Ohio on Monday, Nov. 11 is safe and has been returned to family members without injury, according to an overnight press release from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier on Monday, the child was reportedly abducted in Empire, Jefferson County, according to the Ohio Amber Alert website.
The suspect, Charles Alexander, 43, reportedly left a family member’s house after an altercation, taking the girl with him, despite not having custody of the girl, according to the alert. Officers said they feared for the child’s safety.
On Monday evening, sources told the I-Team that state troopers and local police pursued the suspect’s stolen vehicle.
According to an updated press release, at about 8 p.m. on Monday, the Brunswick Division of Police attempted to pull over the suspect’s vehicle in a traffic stop but said, Alexander did not stop.
Multiple jurisdictions pursued the suspect southbound on Interstate 71 toward Medina.
During the pursuit, stop sticks were deployed causing the vehicle to become disabled, reported police. The vehicle continued to drive southbound and exited on SR 18 in Medina Township where it eventually came to a stop in a business parking lot.
According to police, Alexander was armed and officers attempted to negotiate with him while he communicated with several dispatch centers by telephone.
“Multiple guns shots were fired in an officer-involved shooting. Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene by the Medina County Coroner, Dr. Deranek,” read the release.
Officials did not immediately detail how long negotiations lasted or the moment that led up to the gunfire. No officers were injured during the incident, read the release.
State agents and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office are handling the investigation.
Agencies on scene included the Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Medina Township Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Brunswick Division of Police, Montville Police Department, US Marshals, Medina Fire Department and Cleveland Clinic Life Support Team.
