Body cam footage shows increasingly agitated suspect and justifies use of force, LPD says

LANCASTER - Police say body camera footage show they were justified in fatally shooting a suspect in order to save a hostage's life.

Troy E. Kirk, 31, of Lancaster, was shot and killed shortly after noon Saturday after he allegedly took a Cristy's Pizza employee hostage.

Deputy Police Chief Dan Shupp said the shooting took place approximately 35 minutes after the 911 call was received. He confirmed the officer responsible for shooting the suspect has been assigned special duty until the investigation is completed.

Because the incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Shupp said it's up to BCI to determine why Kirk did what he did. As for Kirk's motive, Shupp said he was going to let the video speak for itself.

In a news release Monday, Shupp asserts the video reinforces the need to use deadly force.

According to the police report on the incident, the initial call was for a robbery. The report's narrative said once officers arrived at the business, Kirk had taken the hostage. Police established a perimeter and attempted to negotiate with the suspect.

The body cam footage starts with the officer stepping around the back corner of the building. Kirk can be heard shouting from the business' back door, although it's difficult to see him.

The officer's rifle can be seen in the shot, but he lets it hang from its strap while he talks to the suspect. Over the course of the five-minute clip, the officer attempts to determine what Kirk wants.

Throughout the clip, Kirk can be heard asking officers to kill him. He warns the surrounding officers not to "value (his) life over her life," referring to the hostage. Kirk becomes increasingly agitated, warning officers if they don't "put a bullet in (his) head," he was going to kill the hostage, then they'd have to kill him anyway.

Towards the end of the clip, sobs can be heard from the hostage. Kirk yells that the woman has a child and tells the officers not to let her die "on him."

Kirk then quiets himself, softly telling the officers they already knows what he wants them to do.

The officer then responds "you want us to take your life, we don't want to do that."

"Listen, man, you're talking about a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

After ducking inside the building, Kirk brings the hostage outside with him. The officer asks for her name, and then asks Kirk to let her go.

Kirk begins yelling he won't be negotiating. The hostage slides out of view, a shot is heard, Kirk collapses, and the officer begins calling for a medic before the video ends.

LPD also released two 911 calls, from an employee and from a customer in the drive-thru at the time of the incident.

The dispatcher can be heard asking the employee her location. The employee responds she's at the Cristy's Pizza on Pierce Avenue. She added the man doesn't know she's making the call. The dispatcher doesn't get a response after that.

More: Police shoot and kill man who held Cristy's Pizza employee hostage at knifepoint

In the second 911 call, the customer describes the suspect as a white man wearing a gray hoodie. She advises he's got the employees lined up behind the counter, but he's still in the building. The caller added she was going to wait until the police arrived.

Jeff Craiglow, the sales and marking manager with Cristy's Pizza, said he is grateful for the response the community has had for the hostage and other employees present Saturday.

"Looking at it now, it's very emotional. When we see that we have an impact on the community and they have an impact on us, it means a lot," he said. "And when the community comes together for one of our own, it means everything to us."

Craiglow said the employee Kirk took hostage is doing well, all things considered. He said she is taking time to recover. If anyone wants to offer their support to her, Craiglow said to contact him at 740-681-4961, extension 1205 and he will relay the message.

When he first got the alert about the incident, Craiglow said it was a text about a robbery, then he learned the situation had escalated.

"There was a real sense of helplessness. Those employees are part of our crew, and we couldn't do anything to help them. In these situations, it's best to just stay out of the first responders' way and let them handle it," he said.

Craiglow added he was grateful for how the community has rallied around the employees, and he's grateful for how the first responders handled his crew with utmost respect and courtesy.

According to Fairfield County Municipal Court records, Kirk had a prior history of traffic violations, including driving under the influence and failing to reinstate his license. There was a misdemeanor assault charge on his record that occurred while he was incarcerated at the Fairfield County Jail in June 2019.

blawlis@gannett.com

740-681-4342

@BarrettLawlis