Sgt. Scott Ries was identified as the officer killed after police responded to a disturbance Sunday night.
RITTMAN, Ohio — A Rittman police sergeant was killed and three others were injured after officers responded Sunday night to a report of gunfire at a Wayne County home, authorities said.
Sgt. Scott Ries was identified Monday as the officer killed in the line of duty. Authorities said the suspect and two victims, described as a mother and her 13-year-old daughter, also were found dead. The case drew a large law enforcement response and an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation review.
Wayne County Sheriff Tom Ballinger said a 911 call came in about 9:30 p.m. Sunday reporting a disturbance and shots fired. Officers went to the area of North Metzger Avenue and Saurer Street, near Chippewa Trail, and came under fire almost at once. “Officers responded to the area and immediately started taking fire,” Ballinger said. “At this point in time, we have lost an officer in the line of duty and two others have been injured.”
Officials said Ries had served 10 years with the Rittman Police Department. He also had worked as a Wayne County sheriff’s deputy and as an officer with the Sugar Grove Police Department in Fairfield County. Authorities said two other officers and a police K-9 were injured. Their conditions were not released early Monday. The names of the mother, the child and the suspect were not immediately made public.
The shooting happened in Rittman, a small city in northeast Ohio that sits in Wayne and Medina counties. Police blocked off parts of the area overnight as officers, deputies and investigators worked around the home. Ballinger said the suspect was found dead inside the residence along with the two victims. He did not say whether officers returned fire or how the suspect died.
Rittman Police Chief Robert Shows, Ballinger and Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice released Ries’ name in a joint statement Monday. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called to handle the shooting review, a common step after police are involved in a deadly encounter. Ballinger said more information could be released later, but he declined to answer questions during the first briefing.
Police departments across northeast Ohio posted messages of condolence Monday as word of Ries’ death spread. The shooting also brought renewed attention to the risks officers face when responding to domestic disturbance and gunfire calls, where key facts often are unclear when police arrive.
The investigation remained active Monday, with no motive released and no full timeline made public. Authorities said the next update would come after investigators review the scene and notify families.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.