Six area police, fire departments called to search for village resident

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by Eric Marotta

Editor

Northfield Village -- A local school was locked down and personnel from six area police and fire departments were deployed to locate a 27-year-old village man who reportedly threatened to harm himself with a gun May 29, according to village police.

The man was found by Macedonia Fire Chief Tim Black in a wooded area with a gunshot wound to his face about one hour after the initial call. A spokesperson at Metro Health Medical Center said he was in stable condition June 2.

No one else was injured.

According to a police report, one of the man's relatives called police around 9 a.m. to report the man may have gone into the woods near Lawrence School with the intention of harming himself. The caller said the man owns a semi-automatic handgun and Sagamore Hills police ordered Olde Eight Road school placed under lockdown, a security drill whereby the school is secured in response to a potential threat.

Members of the Northfield Village police and fire departments, the Northfield Center Fire Department, Macedonia Fire Department and Sagamore Hills and Walton Hills police searched the area. Walton Hills responded with an all-terrain vehicle.

According to police, Black and Northfield Village Police Sgt. John Zolgus shifted their search to a wooded area east of Lee Eaton School around 9:40 a.m.

Northfield Village Police Chief Mark Wentz said the focus of the search changed to quickly to lockdown Lee Eaton.

Police said Black found the man after about 15 minutes in a wooded area by some railroad tracks behind Cranbrook Drive. The man had suffered a gunshot wound to the face but was able to nod his head in response to questions, police said. The gun was found later a distance away from where the man was found.

The man was taken out of the woods by an all-terrain vehicle, then to Northfield Park by a Macedonia rescue squad.

He was transported by helicopter at around 10:30 a.m. to Cleveland Metro Health Medical Center.

E-mail: emarotta@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3171