In a press conference Monday night, Toledo Police Chief George Kral confirmed that 24-year-old officer Brandon Stalker died in the line of duty.
Kral said that Stalker was shot once during a standoff Monday evening and died of his injuries. The suspect was also shot.
The standoff occurred around 3:30 pm when officers approached a man they believed was involved in the vandalism of a local cathedral earlier Monday morning.
When the suspect was approached, officials say he brandished a firearm and then barricaded himself in a home.
Hours into the standoff, Chief Kral said the suspect exited the house with two firearms and began firing shots. That’s when Officer Stalker was struck and killed.
“This is a very dark and hurtful day for the city of Toledo,” said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. “It comes at a time when the Toledo Police Department has had to endure too many dark and terrible days in the past six months.”