2011 Copley Township shooting
| Copley Township shootings | |
|---|---|
 Michael Hance | |
| Location | Copley Township, Summit County, Ohio, USA |
| Date |
August 7, 2011 10:55 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.[1] EST (UTC-05:00) |
Attack type | Mass murder, mass shooting, home invasion |
| Weapons | |
| Deaths | 8 (including the perpetrator) |
Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Michael E. Hance |
| Motive | Unclear[2] |
On August 7, 2011, a mass shooting occurred in Copley Township, Summit County, Ohio by 51-year-old Michael E. Hance. Seven people were shot dead before the gunman was shot and killed by Copley police officer Ben Campbell.
Details
Using two handguns, including a Hi-Point Model JHP .45-caliber pistol, which he bought from Sydmor's Jewelry in neighboring Barberton, Ohio, five days before,[3] and a .357 Magnum six-shot revolver he bought from the same location in 2005, Hance opened fire at a house in the 2300 block of Goodenough Avenue. He first shot his 49-year-old girlfriend Rebecca K. Dieter, who was the only survivor in the shooting. Dieter managed to call 9-1-1 before escaping to the porch of her house and being shot again in the back, after which she pretended to be dead.[2][4]
He then ran into an adjacent house, where he shot and killed Dieter's brother Craig; Autumn Johnson, 16; her grandparents, Russell Johnson, 67, and Gudrun Johnson, 64; and Amelia Shambaugh, 16, who was visiting a friend at the time and was seated in her parked car when she was shot.[3] Hance then chased Autumn Johnson's father, 44-year-old Bryan Johnson, northward, and shot him to death in a nearby driveway on Schocalog Road.
He next followed Craig's son, 11-year-old Scott, into a house on the same street. There, Hance found Scott hiding behind a furnace in the basement with the home's current residents, Melonie Bagley and her three children (nine-year-old Dae'Shawn, three-year-old Destany, and a one-year-old daughter). Bagley tried to deny that Scott was with her before fleeing with her daughters. Hance found Scott and Dae'Shawn, shooting and killing the former while leaving the Bagley family alive.[5]
As Hance was leaving the house, Officer Ben Campbell, along with former Copley Township policeman Keith Lavery, spotted him. Together, they issued commands, which Hance ignored, raising his gun instead, firing shots at them. In response, Campbell and Lavery shot at Hance, with rounds from Campbell's rifle, ultimately killing Hance.[6][7][8][9]
Perpetrator
Michael E. Hance, a 51-year-old male, was identified as the gunman in the shooting. He was described as extremely helpful, but also quiet, strange, eccentric and "not well-liked"[2] by residents of Copley Township. Acquaintances stated that he had "compulsions" that seemed to hint at a previously un-diagnosed mental illness. He graduated from Norton High School in 1978, and was voted the "most courteous" student in the class.
In 1997, Hance contacted police about a man threatening him with a gun when he went out to confront him for vandalizing his truck. He had recently been forced to care for Dieter's father, who was suffering from dementia, and lost his job at a copy store after it was closed down. He was also having tense relations with Russell and Gudrun Johnson, who were his next-door neighbors.[1] On one occasion, he was told by Gudrun to clean up his property, only for her to be forced away by him.[10] He is currently survived by a sister who lives in Mogadore, Ohio.[1]
Prior to the shooting, Craig Dieter and Rebecca Dieter became involved in a dispute with Hance over a house he planned to sell into which they had moved. At the time of the shooting, Craig and his family had traveled to Copley Township from their home in Walton, Kentucky, to discuss the property dispute, and were staying with Russell and Gudrun Johnson at the time.[10]
Victims
| Name | Age | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca K. Dieter | 49 | Hance's girlfriend | Shot at her and Hance's home The only survivor of the shooting |
| Craig Brian Eric Dieter | 51 | Rebecca's brother | Shot at Russell and Gudrun Johnson's home |
| Autumn Marie Johnson | 16 | Russell and Gudrun's granddaughter | Shot at her grandparents' home |
| Russell Lee Johnson | 67 | Autumn's grandfather | Shot at his and Gudrun's home |
| Gudrun Marie Scheiner Johnson | 64 | Autumn's grandmother | Shot at her and Russell's home |
| Amelia Lynn Shambaugh | 16 | Friend of Autumn | Shot at Russell and Gudrun Johnson's home |
| Bryan Richard Johnson | 44 | Autumn's father | Shot on Schocalog Road |
| Scott Calvin Dieter | 11 | Craig's son | Shot inside a home on Schocalog Road |
References
- 1 2 3 "Copley shooter Michael Hance was eccentric, but also helpful to neighbors in Akron". cleveland.com. August 9, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Police Work to Determine Motive in Deadly Ohio Shooting Rampage". FOX News. August 8, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- 1 2 "Ohio rampage suspect bought gun from pawn shop". CBS News. August 10, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Becky Dieter remembers being shot: 'We lost many great people that day'". Ohio.com. August 7, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Copley mother still struggling for peace of mind after shooting in her home". Ohio.com. August 8, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Gunman among 8 dead in shooting rampage in Copley Township". WEWS-TV. August 7, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Ohio police shoot man dead after 'domestic killings'". BBC News. August 7, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ↑ Leigh Remizowski (August 8, 2011). "Police name suspect in Ohio shooting spree". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ↑ "Police ID Copley Shooting Rampage Gunman". Chicago Tribune. August 8, 2011.
- 1 2 "Cold-blooded execution of a child: Ohio gunman cornered boy, 11, in basement, ordered family out and then shot him dead". Daily Mail. August 11, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2015.