Suspect in Ohio shootings that left 4 dead captured in Kansas
A man wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of four people in an Ohio neighborhood on Friday has been captured in Kansas, authorities announced Saturday.
Police in Montgomery County's Butler Township, north of Dayton, said officers were called to the area shortly before noon Friday on a report of shots fired. Butler Township Police Chief John Porter said four victims with gunshot wounds were found at "multiple crime scenes" and all were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they were seeking 39-year-old Stephen Marlow, who was believed to have fled the area in a white 2007 Ford Edge. The FBI placed Marlow on its Most Wanted list early Saturday, stating that he has ties to Indianapolis, Chicago, and Lexington, Kentucky. His last known address was in Dayton, the FBI said.
Porter confirmed in a news briefing Saturday night that Marlow was captured in Lawrence, Kansas, which is about 600 miles west of Butler Township. He did not provide any details on how Marlow was apprehended.
"We do want to thank the general public for all their assistance," Porter said.
The names of the victims haven't yet been released and Porter said it wasn't immediately clear what led to the shooting.
"We are working to determine if there is any motive to this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role," Porter said in a news conference Friday. He called the shooting "the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory."
The Dayton Daily News reports that Marlow had gotten off probation in February on aggravated burglary and aggravated menacing charges stemming from a July 2019 incident in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia, according to Montgomery County court records.
Vandalia closed a number of public areas Saturday as a precaution following the shooting, including the recreation center, Cassel Hills golf course and pool and the city's senior citizens center, the paper reported.
Court documents don't list an attorney representing Marlow; a message seeking comment was left Saturday at a number listed in his name.