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US Marshals fatally shoot Ohio man who allegedly attacked officers with 'wooden table leg'

Three members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force were injured, but have been released from the hospital.

LORAIN, Ohio — A suspect who allegedly threatened members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force during a warrant execution in Lorain has been fatally shot.

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According to a release from Lorain Police Department Lt. Jacob Morris, the incident happened on Thursday morning as task force officers were serving a warrant for 34-year-old Derrick Smith at a house in the 900 block of West 21st Street in Lorain.

Smith was wanted for violating federal parole, stemming from a drug trafficking case, according to authorities.

Morris says task force members were trying to place Smith into custody in an upstairs bedroom of the house, when he attacked them with what was first thought to be a baseball bat, but later clarified as a "wooden table leg." 

Attempts to subdue Smith, including the use of a taser, proved unsuccessful as Morris noted that the situation "escalated," leading to Smith being fatally shot by marshals. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Credit: Lorain Police Department

A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals office reports that two task force members suffered injuries to the head, a third was injured in the arm. All were taken to Mercy Hospital in Lorain for treatment and have been released. 

The Lorain Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau will be handling the investigation. 

This is a developing story. Stay with 3News for more details as they become available. 

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