WILMINGTON, Ohio (AP) – A gunman dressed in body armor who tried to break into an FBI office in Cincinnati on Thursday was shot and killed by police after fleeing the scene and engaging in an hours-long standoff in a rural part of the state. The Ohio Highway Patrol said.
The standoff came as officials warned of an increase in threats against federal agents in the days following the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The man is believed to have been in Washington in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and may have been present at the Capitol on the day of the attack, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter. The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The suspect has been identified as Ricky Schiffer, 42, according to the law enforcement official. He has not been charged with crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, the official said. Federal investigators are looking into whether Schieffer may have had ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, the official said.
Schiffer “attempted to breach” the visitor screening area at the FBI office around 9:15 am. and fled when agents confronted him, according to the federal authorities’ account of the incident. After fleeing on Interstate 71, he was spotted by a trooper and shot as the trooper pursued him, Lt. Nathan Dennis, spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said at a news conference.
Schieffer fled the interstate north of Cincinnati and abandoned his car on rural roads, where he exchanged gunfire with police and was wounded, though no one else was injured, Dennis said.
Schieffer was shot after he raised a gun at police around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Dennis said. The fatal encounter with police happened after negotiations broke down and police tried unsuccessfully to use “less lethal tactics,” Dennis said, without elaborating.
State highway workers blocked roads leading to the scene as a helicopter flew over the area. Officials locked down a one-mile radius near the interstate and urged residents and business owners to lock doors and stay inside. The interstate has reopened.
There have been increasing threats in recent days against FBI agents and offices across the country since federal agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. On Gab, a social networking site popular with white supremacists and anti-Semites, users have warned that they are preparing for armed revolution.
Federal officials are also monitoring a number of other related chatters on Gab and other platforms that threaten violence against federal agents. FBI Director Christopher Wray denounced the threats as he visited another FBI office in Nebraska on Wednesday.
“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with,” Wray said Wednesday in Omaha.
The FBI also warned its agents on Wednesday to avoid protesters and ensure their security key cards are “not visible outside of FBI premises,” citing an increase in social media threats to office staff and facilities . He also warned agents to be aware of their surroundings and potential protesters.
The warning did not specifically mention this week’s investigation at Mar-a-Lago, but attributed the online threats to “recent media reports of FBI investigative activity.”
Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington and Jim Mustian in New York contributed to this report.
