State probing Liberty police shootout; alleged gunman and victim hospitalized

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation confirmed a person shot in an apparent road rage incident Friday afternoon was hospitalized in Cleveland. The alleged shooter then traded bullets with police and was shot and taken to a local hospital, according to BCI.

The police shootout happened near the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Interstate 80, as seen in intense video posted to social media, showing a man believed to be the shooter covering behind an SUV as a barrage of shots rang out, some shattering the vehicle’s windows.

That person has yet to be identified by police.

Liberty Township Police Chief Toby Meloro, who spoke briefly to Mahoning Matters by phone Friday, said no officers were injured — “which is a good thing.” He was unable to offer more details, as the investigation is ongoing.

Steve Irwin, spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, had no update on the condition of the two people shot Friday. The person shot in the road rage incident was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, he said.

BCI is now investigating the officer-involved shooting, which is standard procedure. State investigators expect to review footage from any nearby surveillance cameras that may have captured the shooting, as well as from police cruisers’ dashboard cameras. The average officer-involved shooting takes about 400 man-hours to investigate, he said.

“It’s still a very active investigation,” Irwin said.

Irwin said the Trumbull County Homicide Task Force is investigating the initial shooting.

Numerous local police agencies responded to the scene Friday, including Liberty, Youngstown, Girard, Youngstown State University, Cortland, Vienna and the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, according to WFMJ.

Police units blocked the Belmont intersection as well as the Interstate 80 exit nearby, WKBN reported.

Some businesses in the area were locked down, or sent employees home, according to other reports.