By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Updated, June 18, 1 p.m.: The subject who died in a confrontation with Wood County Sheriff’s deputies early Sunday morning has been identified as George E. Taylor, 48, 8401 S. Dixie Highway, Rudolph.
According to Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn, his office was contacted by a veteran’s hotline in 2018 advising that Taylor was suffering from PTSD.
The name of the officer involved in the shooting was reported today as Deputy Sam Miller. He fired one shot from his handgun.
(Original story below.)
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A person in rural Rudolph was shot and killed this morning after reportedly pointing a rifle at a Wood County Sheriff’s deputy.
Around 1 a.m., deputies from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office were called to perform a “health and welfare check” on the person. A caller had informed the sheriff’s dispatcher that the person was suicidal.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the deputies attempted to de-escalate the situation. During the de-escalation attempts, the subject reportedly pointed a rifle at a deputy, and in response the deputy fired his handgun once, striking the individual.
The press release stated that deputies on the scene immediately performed first aid including CPR, but the person died.
The sheriff’s office is not releasing any other information about the deceased person this morning.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office requested BCII to investigate the incident. The Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation is being assisted by the sheriff’s office, Wood County Coroner Dr. Douglas Hess, and the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office. Also on the location of the shooting were Weston EMS, Central Joint Fire Department and Cygnet Fire Department.
“This is very difficult,” Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said this morning. “We’re here to serve. We’re here to help people.”
All deputies with the department are trained in de-escalation techniques to help calm and resolve situations, Wasylyshyn said.
“Unfortunately, the person wanted suicide by cop,” the sheriff said.
The deputy who fired the shot is on administrative leave and will undergo counseling, Wasylyshyn said.
The last time a Wood County Sheriff’s deputy shot someone was about 18 years ago, the sheriff said. In that incident, a suspect was waving a gun around in the license bureau in Bowling Green, then fled the scene. Deputies pursued the suspect as he drove south on Interstate 75.
Stop-sticks were deployed on the road near Bluffton, flattening the tires on the suspect’s car. As the suspect was trying to get into the driver’s seat of a vehicle at a gas station, with people inside the car, a deputy shot and killed the suspect.
