Around 6:40 last night, Belmont County 911 Dispatch received a call about a male chasing family members with a knife at a house on Washington Boulevard outside of Martins Ferry.

One of the family members – the suspect’s brother – was outside the home, and told police that it was his brother who was the suspect, while his mother was also inside and in a locked room, but she was able to be safely removed from the residence through another exit.

Deputies and officers noticed what appeared to be a fire starting inside and immediately broke into the home. Officers attempted to end the situation with less lethal methods. However, the situation escalated to the point where weapons were discharged, fatally wounding the suspect.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will lead the investigation.