BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Editor's note: The following story has been updated to reflect new information made available by Bowling Green police Tuesday morning. This story has also been updated to correct the victim's age.
A suspect surrounded by Bowling Green police inside an apartment Monday was found dead shortly before 1:30 p.m.
A heavy police presence gathered in Bowling Green Monday morning following a report of a shooting nearby. According to police, 66-year-old Antonio Lopez of Bowling Green got into a physical altercation with a 26-year-old, also from Bowling Green, outside El Zarape, a Mexican restaurant on Wooster Street. Lopez attempted to shoot the 26-year-old. During the altercation, the victim sustained non-life threatening injuries. Crews transported them to the hospital.
Multiple Bowling Green police vehicles responded to the area of Ivywood Apartments on Clough Street, not far from El Zarape restaurant on East Wooster Street, where the shooting occurred. Police confirmed they were looking for the suspect in the shooting.
Clough Street resident Bob Beimdieck was at home Monday morning when he saw the police cars all over his neighborhood.
"They had cop cars all over the place I could see and I couldn't get out of Clough Street at all," Beimdieck said. "I noticed sheriff's (deputies) and SWAT team were out there ... I saw police cars all over there."
Shortly before 12:30 p.m., SWAT vehicles were observed arriving on the scene. Officers were heard yelling for someone to come out of an apartment.
As of 12:40 p.m., the suspect's apartment was surrounded, according to Bowling Green police.
The Wood County Special Response Team also responded to the scene, where they evacuated other residents of the apartment complex.
Police claimed the investigation led authorities to obtain a search warrant for the apartment on Clough Street. Upon entering the apartment, police found Lopez dead from an apparent gunshot wound. He was the only person in the apartment at the time6
Bowling Green police reported there was no active threat to the public. Multiple officers were seen pointing guns at an apartment.
City Council President Mark Hollenbaugh credited police with keeping people safe from what could have been a more violent situation.
"I was at work, I'm a school teacher, so naturally things like this hit home with me given my profession," Hollenbaugh said.
According to El Zarape's Facebook page, the restaurant closed for the remainder of Monday. All employees are safe and the restaurant is believed to have been closed at the time of the incident.
Bowling Green police Lt. Adam Skaff said schools and nearby businesses were notified of the situation, but were not put into lockdown.
"Based on the information we had at the time, we did not feel it was appropriate to try to evacuate large areas or put schools on lockdown," Skaff said. "We believed the subject was most likely at the apartment, and that's why we set the perimeter in that area."
Stephen Hale, who also lives on Clough Street, said the violence was unfortunate, but he isn't worried about his safety in Bowling Green.
"The police station is right down the street," Hale said. "The sheriff's station's right up that way. You got campus police in the same direction. This town is safe, you can't get away with nothing here."
