KIRKERSVILLE – The small Licking County town of Kirkersville was stunned by the death of its police chief, killed along with three other people, when a gunman began firing inside a nursing home Friday morning.
Steven Eric Disario, 36, responded to a report of shots fired inside the Pine Kirk Care Center, 205 E. Main Street, at approximately 7:45 a.m. Friday and was killed when he encountered the shooter, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorpe said.
“It’s a very critical incident and we’ve lost a police officer,” Thorpe said. “Now is just a time to process what’s happened and put our arms around that family.”
Disario was the father of six children and his wife is pregnant, Thorpe said.
Disario, who has been chief of police only a matter of a few weeks, was found in a street outside the building and pulled to safety by officers but died later, Thorpe said.
Elected officials and law enforcement agencies from around central Ohio offered messages of condolence to Disario’s fellow officers and his family.
My office and I stand ready to help our officers and all those affected in Kirkersville in any way possible.
— Rob Portman (@robportmanOH) May 12, 2017
Heartbreaking news. Grateful to law enforcement who responded to the scene. Thinking of the officer, officer’s family & all involved. https://t.co/REdDHOARn6
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) May 12, 2017
Fran and I extend our thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Kirkersville community.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) May 12, 2017
Officers who entered the nursing home found the bodies of two people believed to be employees and a third believed to be the gunman, inside the home, Thorpe said.
The names of the other three victims were not immediately available. Thorpe was not certain whether the two other victims were residents or employees.
He was unable to provide the name of the gunman or the type of weapon used.
He estimated that the incident transpired “in a matter of minutes.”
Kirkersville Elementary School was closed for the day and student and staff taken to Watkins Middle School for the day. Parents can pick up children at the middle school anytime but the children will remain there for day if necessary and will be served lunch, according to the Southwest Licking School District. The remainder of the district’s buildings were placed on Level 1 lockdown.
The Ohio Department of Transportation closed U.S. Rte. 40 (Main Street) in both directions between SR 158 and SR 37 for the day.