New Delhi: An armed man clad in body armour who tried to breach a Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI office in the US state of Ohio was killed following an hours-long standoff with the police on Thursday after trying to flee the scene, AP reported.
The man identified as Ricky Schieffer, 42, attempted to breach the visitor screening area at the FBI’s office but fled on being confronted by federal officials, reported AP.
A State Highway Patrol spokesperson while speaking at a press conference said Schieffer fled in a car that he abandoned on the rural roads where he exchanged gunfire with the police officials and sustained injuries.
After negotiations failed, the police tried to use “less lethal tactics”, however, Schieffer was shot dead at 3 pm when he raised his gun toward the police, AP reported.
During the stand-off, all the shopkeepers and residents within a 1 km radius were asked to lock their houses and shops and stay inside.
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Schiffer is believed to have been in Washington in the days leading up to Jan 6, 2021, insurrection and may have been a part of the Capitol attack though he hasn’t been charged with any crime in connection with the incident, according to the report.
Federal investigators are examining whether Shiffer may have had ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, AP reported officials as saying.
According to the report, the confrontation came after officials warned of an increase in threats against federal agents in the days following a search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
On Gab, a social media site popular with white supremacists and antisemites, users have warned they are preparing for an armed revolution, AP reported. Federal officials have also been tracking an array of other concerning chatter on Gab and other platforms threatening violence against federal agents.