Macedonia police officer shot Burlington theft suspect, department says

Doug Livingston and Emily Mills, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
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A Macedonia police officer shot a person accused of theft at the Burlington store on Sunday evening, according to a news release from the Macedonia Police Department.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, which happened at the department store, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, at 500 E. Aurora Road (state Route 82) in a shopping plaza between state Route 8 and Interstate 271.

According to a news release from the Macedonia Police Department on Monday, the city's dispatch center received a report of a theft from Burlington. When officers got there, they found the person accused of theft, according to the release.

"A struggle then ensued, resulting in one of the officers discharging their firearm, and one individual transported to a local hospital for treatment," the release states.

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BCI spokesperson Steve Irwin said Sunday that no officers were injured but could not speak to the condition of the suspect.

The officer was placed on paid administrative leave, per city policy, according to the release.

The police department said that following standard protocol, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Attorney General's Office were contacted, with BCI responding to the scene. The department said that the city is also reviewing the incident.

Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland spoke with Dawn Blackman of Walton Hills, who was shopping in the Burlington store with her two teenage daughters Sunday and heard a gunshot.

Blackman told News 5 that police were called to the store for an apparent shoplifting incident after a suspect was allegedly caught stealing items from the store, with some sort of altercation after police approached the person.

Blackman said shoppers heard a single gunshot, and she and her children were rushed into a back room with several other customers and employees. Once they were told they could leave, Blackman said she saw blood near the entrance of Burlington and a knife nearby.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Macedonia police officer shot Burlington theft suspect