A man was found dead inside a South Washington Street apartment Thursday morning after firing a gun as municipal court personnel attempted to carry out an eviction, according to the Tiffin Police Department.
The incident unfolded in the 200 block of South Washington Street on Nov. 12, when personnel from Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court entered the apartment to conduct the eviction. Police said the male resident fired one round from a pistol as court personnel entered. The workers did not see the man and could not determine whether he had shot himself.
Tiffin police and deputies from the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office responded to the apartment. Authorities were aware that the man had previously fired at law enforcement officers in 2021, according to a statement released Thursday by Tiffin Police Administrative Lt. J.A. DeMonte.
Street closed, nearby buildings evacuated
Officers temporarily closed South Washington Street and evacuated nearby residences and businesses while they worked to secure the scene. Police also requested that Tiffin City Schools implement a precautionary lockdown because students were approaching their lunchtime period.
Police emphasized that students were never directly threatened during the incident.
Officers eventually deployed a drone to search the apartment and discovered the man deceased from a single gunshot wound. The department did not establish in its initial statement whether the fatal wound was self-inflicted.
The man’s identity is being withheld pending further investigation and notification of his next of kin. Police have not released additional details about the circumstances of his death.
