A 42-year-old man was taken into custody Saturday morning after authorities say he fired a handgun from the porch of his home, prompting a SWAT response in the village of Midvale.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell told Jordan Miller News that deputies were called to 2252 Main St. shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday after the man’s daughter reported concerns about her father’s behavior.
According to Campbell, the daughter told authorities her father, Joshua A. Shank, had been drinking throughout the night and became upset with friends before retrieving a semiautomatic pistol and firing a single round from the front porch of the residence.
Deputies responding to the home located a shell casing outside during a welfare check and requested additional units along with the Tuscarawas County SWAT Team.
Campbell said SWAT officers secured the home and deployed a drone inside the residence, where Shank was located lying in a bedroom. Authorities then used a flashbang diversion device before taking the man into custody without resistance.
“No shots were fired by law enforcement,” Campbell said, noting the only gunshot occurred before deputies arrived. He added the loud noise from the flashbang may have been mistaken by nearby residents as another gunshot.
Shank is being held in the Tuscarawas County Jail for review of a third-degree felony charge of having weapons while under disability. Prosecutors also are reviewing possible misdemeanor charges of domestic violence, using weapons while intoxicated, aggravated menacing and inducing panic, according to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office. Formal charges had not been filed as of Saturday afternoon.
Authorities also confirmed two children were at the home during the incident. Investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding their presence as interviews continue.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau is leading the investigation. No injuries were reported.
