$10M bond set for man accused of shooting Ohio deputies
CINCINNATI (AP) — A man accused of luring authorities with threats of killing himself and then fatally shooting a sheriff’s deputy and wounding another deputy who tried to help him during a 12-hour standoff in Ohio had his bond set at $10 million Monday.
A shackled Wade Edward Winn, who appeared to have injuries on his face, was in Clermont County Municipal Court in Batavia for his initial hearing on charges of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder in the weekend shooting in Pierce Township, roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Cincinnati.
Authorities say Detective Bill Brewer died from his wounds. The other deputy, Nick DeRose, was shot in the ankle. He was in court for Monday’s hearing along with several other members of the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.
Prosecutors said in Monday that Winn had court faked killing himself at some point during the standoff and the two deputies were shot through a wall when they tried to enter the apartment to assist him. Prosecutors said that they will seek the death penalty.
“Deputy Brewer gave his life attempting to help a person who was admittedly suicidal,” Sheriff Steve Leahy said in a press release Sunday. “This will forever change the atmosphere of the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.”
Winn’s lawyer, Jay Clark, said Monday that Winn has been under psychiatric care in the past.
Clark confirmed that Winn broadcast parts of the standoff live to his followers on Instagram. He says he believes his client’s posting of the video indicates “he was trying to get help because he truly thought he was being threatened.”
Clark also said that Winn “articulated to me that he is extremely remorseful.” The attorney says he doesn’t think Winn “fully appreciates exactly what happened or how it happened.”
Messages seeking additional comment were left Monday for county prosecutors.
Authorities have said that officers responded about 7 p.m. Saturday to the Royal Oaks Apartments following a 911 call from a man who said he believed someone was inside his residence. The caller then said that he was armed and eventually told the dispatcher he was suicidal, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
David O’Neil, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, has confirmed that the caller was determined to be Winn.
Police agencies came under a “barrage” of gunfire from Winn before he was taken into custody early Sunday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities have said that a fire erupted in the apartment early Sunday, but haven’t provided details on that.