BUTLER TOWNSHIP — Two people are dead after a four-hour standoff with county law enforcement Thursday morning.
A Knox County Sheriff’s news release states that deputies from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to an “open 911 call” at 10180 Busenburg Road in Howard at 1:21 a.m.
Upon arriving at the residence, deputies spoke with Lauretta Beltz-Frazee, who claimed that Lloyd J. Ray had injured her.
According to the release, the situation escalated quickly, and Ray and an unnamed sheriff’s deputy exchanged gunfire.
Ray then released an unknown chemical, causing the deputies to evacuate the premises.
The release states that after leaving the residence, Ray fired at deputies and their patrol vehicles, which led to a four-hour standoff that lasted until 5:30 a.m., when deputies found Ray and Beltz-Frazee deceased inside the residence.
The release states that deputies safely removed two additional occupants from the residence.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Mount Vernon Police Department deployed tactical units, with additional support from the Fredericktown Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the OSHP aviation unit.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation began processing and investigating the scene, according to the release. The investigation is ongoing, and no further details are available at this time.