A Toronto man died Monday morning after shooting himself as police entered his home to serve a warrant against him in connection with allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.
Douglas Thompson, 54, of 711 N. Fourth St., Toronto, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after reportedly shooting himself with a .38-caliber revolver. The incident occurred about 9:30 a.m. Monday after officers with the Toronto and Steubenville Police departments served a search warrant at Thompson's residence, according to Toronto Police Detective Charles Daniels.
"We went to the residence to execute a search warrant as part of a sexual assault investigation," said Daniels. "We made contact with (Karen Anderson). She told us the (Douglas Thompson) was sleeping in the rear of the residence."
Karen Anderson was identified in a police incident report as Thompson's common-law wife, according to reports.
"We heard the gunshot," said Daniels. "It didn't sound like a gunshot but more like a door slamming. Then (Anderson) ran up to us and told us (Thompson) had shot himself in the bathroom."
Daniels said officers called the TEMS Joint Ambulance District, and Thomson was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Police identified Thompson as the target of an investigation into the sexual assault of a minor.
"He was the suspect in the sexual assault case," said Daniels, adding evidence was collected at the scene. "We did recover a computer and other materials. We sent the evidence to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
"The investigation is ongoing," said Daniels, adding police are unsure at this point whether any charges will be filed related to the case.