Police called to site of shooting several times
2 officers killed while responding to 911 hang-up call in Ohio
CLEVELAND — Police in Ohio had previously gone to the home where a man fatally shot two police officers for three domestic disputes but no arrests were ever made, incident reports from the Columbus suburb of Westerville show.
Westerville officers Eric Joering, 39, and Anthony Morelli, 54, were killed shortly after noon Saturday in this normally quiet suburb while responding to a 911 hang-up call.
The suspect, 30-year-old Quentin Smith, was shot and wounded by the officers and taken to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition Saturday, a Westerville city spokeswoman said. The hospital would not provide updates on his condition Sunday.
A series of 911 calls released by the city of Westerville provide some details about what happened Saturday at a complex of townhomes. Smith lived there with his wife, Candace, and a young daughter.
Westerville police have provided few details about what happened inside the townhome. Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer said at a news conference Saturday that Joering, a 16-year veteran, and Morelli, a 30-year-veteran, were shot immediately upon entering the residence. Columbus police are investigating the shootings.
After the initial hang-up call at noon, a dispatcher called the number back and reached a woman who was crying and could be heard saying, “Won’t let me in.” Officers were then sent to the home. At 12:12 p.m., an officer told a dispatcher that it was “all quiet right now,” followed by a door knock. At 12:13 p.m., after a dispatcher confirmed contact had been made, a man’s voice could be heard yelling, “We have shots fired.”
Four minutes later, someone, presumably a police officer, told a dispatcher: “We have two officers down. Child on couch, one at gunpoint.” It’s unclear at what point Smith was shot.
Other 911 calls showed that Candace Smith was hiding in bushes in front of the home, pleading for help because her daughter was still inside the home while a dispatcher calmly told her to stay there.
“Please help,” she repeated several times in a call at 12:14 p.m. “He shot the police officers.”
Westerville police had gone to the couple’s townhome for domestic disputes three times since September. Joering and Morelli’s names aren’t listed on those calls.