BUCYRUS — The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations has begun its investigation into an officer-involved shooting in Bucyrus on Monday.
BCI is operated by the Ohio Attorney General’s office and serves as the state’s crime lab and criminal-records keeper, providing investigative services to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
“BCI was requested by the Bucyrus Police Department to investigate the fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred (Monday),” said Steve Irwin, BCI communications director. “BCI’s Force Investigations and Crime Scene units responded. BCI’s investigation remains active and ongoing.”
Irwin said Tuesday he had no additional information to share about the incident.
A nearly 12-hour standoff inside a house in the 900 block of East Warren Street ended late Monday morning when officers outside the home returned gunfire from Paul Desmarais, 41, and killed the lone suspect. Authorities say Desmarais barricaded himself inside the residence Sunday night.
Irwin said BCI will forward its investigation to Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall.
“Procedurally, once BCI’s investigation is completed, it will be forwarded to the county prosecutor for review. Since the incident was fatal, once the case has been fully adjudicated, BCI’s investigative file will be posted to our website,” Irwin said.
According to the BCI website, its force investigation team “is composed of investigators independent of local law enforcement who are trusted for their skill and expertise in documenting the facts of officer-involved critical incidents. The Force Investigations Unit reviews more police shootings than any other agency in Ohio. Team members have the experience to ensure that any incident is properly, fairly and thoroughly investigated, and they produce trustworthy results.”
(Below is a BCI-produced video on its investigations when asked to probe law enforcement uses of lethal force.)
The incident began Sunday at 10:21 p.m. in the Crawford County seat when Bucyrus police responded to a domestic dispute and encountered Desmarais, reportedly armed with a gun and clad in body armor.
It ended late Monday morning, according to Bucyrus Police Chief Jon Dorsey, after negotiations failed to gain the suspect’s surrender.
Desmarais reportedly had explosives and a gas mask, which later made law enforcement’s use of tear gas inside the house ineffective.
The BPD was assisted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Mansfield Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Ontario Police Department, Crawford County Coroner’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Bucyrus Fire Department.
The Mansfield Police Department also sent its new mobile operations center and drone unit to assist during the long standoff. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was also at the scene.
It’s not known which officers fired shots during the incident, though Crall said Monday afternoon it was not law enforcement from Crawford County.
Crall said BCI was in charge of the scene.
“We want to make sure that we have transparency for the public, so they can know what’s going on here. But we’re still investigating, so we ask everyone to please remain patient,” the prosecutor said.
“These things often take quite some time to go through. The entire investigation will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office and most likely this will then go in front of a grand jury.
“That’s just the typical process that we go through whenever there’s an officer-involved shooting. Obviously, we’re not saying the officer did anything wrong.
“But we just make sure that we are doing what is necessary and proper to have a full and transparent investigation,” Crall said.
