A suspect in the shooting deaths of 4 people in Ohio was captured in Kansas
By Tina Burnside, Kiely Westhoff and Amya Henry, CNN
A suspect in the shooting deaths of four people at multiple sites outside of Dayton, Ohio, has been arrested, police said.
Stephen Marlow was taken into custody Saturday night by police in Lawrence, Kansas, Butler Township Police Chief John Porter said at a news conference. Marlow was wanted in connection with the Friday shootings in Butler Township, a small town north of Dayton.
The arrest comes a day after the victims were found at multiple crime scenes. A motive for the shootings is still unclear.
Lawrence police “had reason to believe” Marlow was in their city and launched a city-wide search for the suspect, the Lawrence Police Department said in a statement.
A Lawrence police officer called for additional personnel after noticing a vehicle matching the description of the car the suspect was believed to be driving, according to the statement. As the officers were on the way, the vehicle turned into a parking lot and Marlow stepped out, Lawrence police said. After he exited the car, police arrested him, the statement said.
Authorities had described Marlow as likely armed and dangerous.
“Stephen Marlow remains the primary suspect,” Butler Township Police said in a Facebook statement Saturday. “We have no current information to make us believe others were involved in these horrific acts.”
“Following the shootings, it appears Stephen Marlow drove to Interstate 70 and headed west,” the statement added, noting they believed he had left Ohio. Law enforcement agencies in multiple states have been made aware of this and are on high alert.”
Butler Township is about 640 miles from Lawrence, Kansas.
Police responded to a report of shots fired just before noon Friday, Porter said, and the four victims died at the scenes.
“This is the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory,” Porter said. “We are working to determine if there was any motive to this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role.”
Wendy Chapman, a neighbor of one victim, told CNN affiliate WKEF the neighborhood is a quiet place.
“I would have never, even in this neighborhood, I would never expect anything, never,” Chapman told the Dayton station.
Butler Township is a town of just under 8,000 residents about nine miles north of Dayton.
In the neighboring city of Vandalia, authorities increased the number of officers on patrol following the shooting, Mayor Richard Herbst said in a Facebook post. The city also canceled outdoor activities and closed recreation facilities “as a precaution,” the mayor said, noting that there were no “specific threats against City facilities.”
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CNN’s Zenebou Sylla, Liam Reilly and Samantha Beech also contributed to this story
