(Reuters) – At least five people were found dead from a shooting on Monday in West Jefferson, Ohio, a suburb of the state’s capital and largest city, Columbus, according to local media.
Two Columbus-based television stations reported that at least three people were found fatally shot inside a building, with more victims discovered dead outside at the same location, though a precise number of casualties was not immediately confirmed.
Both TV stations, WSYX and WCMH, cited West Jefferson Police Chief Chris Floyd as the source of their information. But Floyd could not immediately be reached by Reuters, and a dispatcher answer calls for West Jefferson said she had no information.
WCMH said the crime scene was a home in West Jefferson, a town of about 4,000 residents about 15 miles west of Columbus.
Police responding to the incident were alerted to the shooting by a passerby who called emergency-911, according to WSYX. Officers arriving secured the scene and began looking for a suspect and evidence, the station reported.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were reportedly assisting West Jefferson police in the investigation.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Michael Perry)
