CINCINNATI — A standoff between law enforcement and an armed man who attempted to break into the FBI office in Cincinnati ended around 3:42 p.m. on Thursday after officers shot the man dead, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Officers attempted to negotiate with the man for many hours during the standoff, OSHP said during a press conference Thursday evening. After negotiations failed, law enforcement moved in and used "less-than-lethal tactics" in an effort to take him into custody. The man then raised his gun toward officers and officials said police fired on him, killing him.
OSHP has identified the man as Ricky Shiffer, 42, from Columbus. They have not released information on which agency or officers fired shots in the incident.
You can watch the full press conference below:
Shiffer attempted to break into the FBI office in Cincinnati around 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the FBI. He then fled in a white Ford Crown Victoria north on I-71, leading police on a chase and engaging them in a shootout.
The Associated Press reported that a law enforcement official briefed on the situation said Shiffer is believed to have been in D.C. in the days leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021. Shiffer has not been charged with any crimes in connection to the riots. The official told the Associated Press federal investigators are examining whether he had ties to far-right extremist groups including the Proud Boys.
Molly Broscoe, a doctoral sociology student and researcher at the University of Cincinnati who specializes in right-wing extremist groups, said the FBI is now likely scouring Schiffer's social media presence searching for a motive, or a manifesto.
"They will be taking all of his electronic devices," Broscoe said, to track his phone history, website visits and social media posts, and what media he consumed, "in order to see basically see where this is coming from."
Compared to other past domestic terrorism events, Schiffer's attempt to break into the FBI office did not seem to be not very well planned out.
"In many cases individuals who engage in these actions go into it knowing that there is a very high likelihood that they will die in the process," she said. "They know going in and its actually kind of a part of their driving factor. They are so deeply unsatisfied with own lives that they see this as a way to use their life to make the world closer to the place they would have wanted to live in, even if it means sacrificing themselves in the process."
The chase turned into a standoff in Clinton County, forcing I-71 and SR-73, as well as other surrounding local roadways, to close for hours.
The standoff and suspect were contained for much of the incident, but while the scene was active, Clinton County EMA said the area within a one-mile radius of Smith Road and Center Road was under lockdown.
In a statement, FBI Cincinnati said the FBI's Inspection Division is reviewing the shooting.
Broscoe said the FBI has likely increased security at its field offices nationwide.
