Ohio police officer shot dead during domestic dispute call

Police officer Justin Leo was fatally shot responding to a domestic dispute during the weekend. (Girard Police Department)

A 31-year-old police officer in Ohio was fatally shot responding to a domestic dispute during the weekend.

Girard officer Justin Leo was shot Saturday night, WFMJ reports.

Police were sent to a home around 10 p.m. regarding “a domestic situation involving a firearm,” Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Special Agent James Ciotti said in a press conference. “Upon arrival, officers approached the residence. There was a brief conversation between the officers and a male inside.”

“Initial reports indicate the man pulled a gun and shot a Girard police officer,” he continued. “The second officer returned fire and the male inside was hit and pronounced dead at the scene.”

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Leo died at a local hospital, according to Ciotti. Leo was a five-year veteran of the department.

“Out of nowhere, one shot rang out,” neighbor Arron Wayland told the news station. “And then immediately, three more shots. ”

The incident is being investigated by the BCI.

The suspect hasn’t been publicly identified.

A radio call for an “officer down” included an officer telling a dispatcher there was a man with several firearms who had been drinking all day.

“Justin Leo was a young man I knew most of his life,” Girard Mayor Justin Melfi said during the press conference. “An absolute gentleman and someone who the city has been proud of since he had been here with us. Our communities, prayers and thoughts go out to Leo’s family.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.