COLUMBUS, Ohio — Law enforcement officers held a press conference Tuesday detailing what led up to the fatal shooting of the suspect in an Ohio Amber Alert on Monday.
Charles Alexander, 43, was fatally shot by a trooper with Ohio State Highway Patrol after authorities say he abducted his 7-year-old daughter, led officers on a chase and threatened to shoot himself and the child.
What happened
Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice said the situation started in Jefferson County around 3 p.m.
Alexander reportedly went to a school to pick up his daughter, who he did not have custody of. Grice said at that point, the girl’s grandmother went to the school and took the girl to her house.
"The suspect went to that location and abducted the child," Grice explained. "With his vehicle, he struck another female at that location and then took off north in a Ford F-150."
Authorities then began tracking him.
Grice noted that Alexander left the pickup truck at a hotel in Fairlawn and was able to "steal" a U-Haul vehicle.
Brunswick Police Chief Robert Safran said that his office received an alert about the U-Haul at a parking lot on Center Road just after 8 p.m.
When a Brunswick police officer approached Alexander and yelled for him to stop, Safran said he drove away. Police then began a low-speed chase on Center Road.
Dashcam video shared during the press conference showed the U-Haul strike a police cruiser during the chase.
Safran said officers were able to use spike strips to damage one of the front tires on the U-Haul which slowed the chase down. Officers then continued the pursuit on Interstate 71 South.
As the chase continued, Safran said Alexander placed a call to dispatch threatening to shoot his daughter and himself if police didn't back off.
"I'm getting off at the exit, 18 Akron and Medina, I need them to not approach this car," Alexander told dispatchers in audio that was shared during the press conference.
He is heard saying, “I’m going to stop this car. I need the police to not come up. Do you know who I am?” and “I will shoot us both. Stay back.”
The U-Haul finally came to a stop in an Arby's parking lot on Eastpointe Drive in Medina Township.
The U-Haul was facing away from officers and as they got closer, there were shots fired at officers, Safran said. The officers then retreated and called for additional resources.
Grice said "extensive efforts were made" to negotiate with Alexander, but he continued to make multiple threats against his daughter. That ultimately led to an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper fatally shooting Alexander, officials said.
Authorities said the 7-year-old girl was safely recovered from the scene and was returned to her family.
“That decision is never made easy. It’s a difficult situation for that trooper, but that act alone, right then, saved this little girl,” Grice said. "There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Grice said a deputy operating a drone reported at one point that Alexander had put the gun to the child.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was requested to handle the investigation.