COLUMBUS – Records show the man suspected of killing three members of a West Side family was investigated six years ago for threatening a mass shooting.
Meanwhile, Columbus police say the surviving member of the family, a 12-year-old girl, is expected to survive her injuries.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol records say Barry Kirk threatened the shooting after getting upset with an employee at the Ohio governor’s office in 2009.
The records obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press say Kirk became angry because the employee couldn’t help him with an unemployment claim and threatened to make “a big boom” or begin shooting people. Records show Kirk pleaded guilty to telephone harassment in the case.
Columbus police say Kirk fatally shot a husband and wife and their 7-year-old son and wounded their 12-year-old daughter Monday night in the family’s S. Terrace Avenue home.
Officers Eric Clouse, Lincoln Green and Jack Snyder T shot and killed the 50-year-old Kirk moments later after a short chase.
The officers were patrolling on the Hilltop Monday afternoon when they heard gunshots and began to track down the shooting suspect at the same time the shooting was reported to 911, police spokeswoman Denise Alex-Bouzounis said.
She says two communication technicians who took the calls are receiving counseling as are the three officers, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.