Two police officers killed responding to 911; suspect held

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio said two officers were fatally shot at a home in a Columbus suburb on Saturday, and a suspect was in custody.

Westerville police said in a statement that the shootings happened Saturday after officers responded to a 911 hang-up call. The officers were shot around noon after entering the residence.

Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer identified the officers as 39-year-old Eric Joering and 54-yearold Tony Morelli. He said the officers were responding to a “potential domestic situation.”

“The officers gave their lives in defense of others,” Morbitzer said, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “They’re true American heroes.”

Police provided no details about the suspect during a brief news conference.

Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sihk), who lives with his family in a nearby township, tweeted that he was “very saddened to learn of the deaths of two of my hometown police officers.” He asked Ohio residents to join him in “lifting up these officers’ families in prayer.”

President Donald Trump tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers are with the two police officers, their families, and everybody at the @ WestervillePD.”

Westerville, on the northeast side of Columbus, is a suburb with about 39,000 residents.

AP PHOTO/TOM DODGE/THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Police investigate the scene of a shooting in Westerville, Ohio on Saturday. Westerville police have confirmed that two officers have been fatally shot at a home in the Columbus suburb. A police statement says the officers responded to a 911 hang-up...