2 Dead In Akron Following Police Shooting, SWAT Response

AKRON, OH — Two men were found dead inside an Akron home after police officers fired at a gun-wielding man who refused to drop his weapon.

Police were called around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a man with a gun at a Ritchie Avenue home, near Orrin Street. A 911 caller said a man was yelling inside the home and pointing a gun at other people in the residence.

Officers arrived and could hear yelling inside the home. Moments after arriving, two people left the home, but officers learned at least one more person was still in the home with the suspect.

Officers stood outside a side door and ordered the man to drop the gun. He refused, police said, and appeared at the top of the stairs holding a gun. Two police officers fired at the man, who retreated back into the home. It wasn't immediately clear if the suspect or the other person in the home were shot by the officers. A SWAT team was called to the home, but the unit was unable to contact the suspect and the other man in the home, police said.

The SWAT team entered the home and found two men ages 21 and 38 dead in the living room.

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform autopsies on the bodies. The names of the men weren't immediately released.

The two officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation, per department policy. They have just over two years of experience in the Akron Police Department.

The Akron police department's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will perform an internal investigation. Those results will be reviewed by the police chief and the city's police auditor.