Scene of the murder-suicide.
A father killed a young girl and himself when police tried to intervene in a custody dispute, according to officers. The late suspect was Eric Johnson, 40, and the victim was Iyla Johnson, 6, say cops in Mount Healthy, Ohio, which is north of Cincinnati.
Officers said they were dispatched to 1894 Lakenoll Drive. There was a dispute about a custody exchange, they said.
“As officers entered the apartment a gunshot was heard from a second-floor bedroom area,” police said. “Officers immediately responded to, and attempted to gain entry into, the bedroom but were unable due to the door being barricaded from within. As officers attempted to force entry additional shots rang out. The officers called for a Hamilton County Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) response while securing the perimeter of the residence.”
Officers did not describe hearing anything but gunshots from suspect Johnson.
“Upon arrival, SWAT attempted to communicate with the barricaded individual,” police said. “After repeated attempts to do so failed, SWAT entered and found Iyla Johnson, a female age six, and her father, Eric Johnson, male age 40, deceased, both suffering from gunshot wounds.”
Preliminary investigation shows this was a murder-suicide, they said. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office will review for the final determination. Officers described Eric Johnson as “a convicted felon who was prohibited under law from possessing a firearm.”
Mount Healthy cops did not get hurt, officers said. Police Sgt. Alan Fath told Law&Crime they had no new information when we reached out Monday morning about a motive and more detail on what led up to this.
[Screenshot via WCPO]
