COLUMBUS — Police say an armed man wearing a hockey-type mask barged into a Northwest Side Bob Evans restaurant Saturday morning, demanded that a manager open a safe and was fatally shot by an officer during a confrontation.
UPDATE 1/27/20 10:30 a.m.: Police have identified the officer involved in the shooting as Ofc. Jeffrey Miller, a 15-year veteran.
UPDATE 1/28/20 7:26 a.m.: Police have identified the suspect in this incident as 34-year-old Joshua James Brown.
The attempted robbery and police shooting occurred around 7:45 a.m., Division of Police spokesman Sgt. James Fuqua said.
Police received multiple calls that the masked man armed with a handgun was still inside the restaurant at 1455 Olentangy River Road
as officers were being dispatched at 7:39 a.m.
After several minutes of attempting to gather money from a safe in the office area of the restaurant, the suspect fled the business from a back door where he was confronted by officers who had just arrived on scene in the rear of the restaurant.
One of the responding officers fired multiple shots at the suspect and took him into custody immediately after. The suspect, whose name and age haven’t been released, died at OSU Wexner Medical Center.
Police say the manager was struck in the head with a gun and was taken to OSU for treatment.
No customers or employees in the restaurant at the time were injured.
Police are investigating whether the suspect was a former employee.