WALBRIDGE, Ohio — Perrysburg Township police shot a person accused of firing at officers on May 23, resulting in the person's death.
According to a press release from the Perrysburg Township Police Department, officers responded to the 26000 block of Tracy Road just before 11 p.m. on May 23, after receiving a 911 call regarding a person with a gun.
On May 29, police held a press conference where they released the 911 call and bodycam footage from the incident.
Authorities identified the suspect as Beau Purtee, 23.
You can watch the press conference here:
The body camera video shared with WTOL 11 showed four officers responding to Purtee's call, arriving on scene at Tracy Road.
They followed Purtee's screams to a nearby ditch only a few hundred feet away from First Solar, but it wasn't until they rounded the corner that they truly understood the reality of the situation.
Officers rounded the corner and were greeted by the sound of gunshots, keeping them pinned behind a nearby building.
Purtee was tucked down inside a ditch, armed with a 9mm handgun with a flashlight and appeared to be shooting at both the officers and oncoming traffic.
"Hey, we need to stop these cars. Dispatch, we need to close off traffic southbound from 795. We need to stop northbound traffic from Latcha," said one officer heard in the bodycam video.
As the shooting continued, one officer, Sgt. Ross Wheatley, whom police leadership described as a veteran officer, returned fire, killing Purtee.
It's unclear how many times the suspect was struck, police said. No officers were injured in the incident.
Chief Matt Gazarek said overall, despite being a small department that hasn't seen a shooting since 2018, he believes his officers handled the situation perfectly.
"I think they did an outstanding job. They all remained calm and did and acted in accordance with what they're trained to do," Gazarek said.
During the Wednesday press conference, Gazarek revealed that Purtee had a previous record of firing weapons while intoxicated and had a charge out of Toledo.
He was 23 years old at the time of the shooting.
All involved officers have been placed on paid administrative leave as is the standard procedure of the township, police said in the press release.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted an investigation into the incident.
City of Perrysburg police, Lake Township police and Rossford police also assisted on the scene.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include new information from police.
WATCH more on WTOL:
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!