Police in Ohio have shot and killed a man after a standoff between police and an armed suspect following a break-in at an FBI office in Cincinnati.
The Associated Press reportedthat the man was armed and wore body armor.
The standoff ended at around 3:40 p.m. local time, WCPO reported. Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed that a man connected to the incident had been shot and killed by officers.
The man was not immediately identified after the standoff later on Thursday.
Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said an armed individual attempted to breach the Visitor Screening Facility at an FBI location in Cincinnati.
According to Nathan Dennis, a spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the FBI alerted troopers about the attempted breach. About 35 miles north of Cincinnati, troopers spotted the suspect's vehicle and began a pursuit.
He then led law enforcement on a chase that turned into a standoff in Clinton County, Ohio, about 50 miles north of Cincinnati. Law enforcement officials exchanged gunfire with a single suspect, Dennis said. Dennis said no officers were wounded.
The man was driving a white Ford Crown Victoria as he lead officers down a state highway on a chase before he was engaged in a shootout.
WCPO reported that officers tried to negotiate with the man for multiple hours, citing statements by Ohio law enforcement during a Thursday press conference.
Police said they moved in the use "less-than-lethal tactics" to try and bring the man into custody alive. According to police, the man raised his gun toward police officers in the standoff, which caused officers to respond with lethal gunfire at around 3:42 p.m. local time.
The Associated Press reportedthat the man is thought to have been in Washington in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. However, it is still unclear if he was at the Capitol on the day of the attack, law enforcement said. The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they could not discuss the ongoing investigation.
The breach came as FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledged on Wednesday a rise in threats against the agency. The threats come after agents executed a search warrant at the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump.
It is unclear whether the incident in Cincinnati was motivated by Monday’s search at Mar-a-Lago.
