Four people were shot dead in an Ohio neighborhood on Friday and a man believed to be armed and dangerous is being sought, officials said.
Police in Butler Township, Montgomery County, north of Dayton, said officers were called to the area shortly before Friday afternoon upon reports of shootings. Chief John Porter said that four victims with gunshot wounds were found at “multiple crime sites” and all were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they were looking for 39-year-old Stephen Marlowe, who is believed to have fled the area in 2007 in a white Ford Edge with Ohio license plate JES 9806. He warned anyone looking at him or the vehicle to call 911 “and not approach him” as he is still likely to be armed and dangerous.
FBI kept marlowe on his Most Wanted list on Saturday, stating that he has ties to Indianapolis, Chicago and Lexington, Kentucky. His last known address was in Dayton, the FBI said.
Porter said police do not believe there is a threat to the neighborhood, but that officers will remain in the area if he returns. The names of the victims have yet to be released and Porter said it was not immediately clear what led to the shooting.
“We are working to determine if there is a motive for this horrific tragedy or if mental illness played a role,” Porter said. He called the shooting “the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory”.
The Dayton Daily News reports that according to Montgomery County Court records, Marlowe received probation in February 2019 on aggravated theft and aggravated felony charges from a July 2019 incident in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia.
As a precaution after the shooting, Vandalia closed several public areas on Saturday, including the recreation center, the Castle Hills golf course and pool, and the city’s senior citizens center, the newspaper reported.
Court documents do not list the attorney representing Marlowe; A message seeking comment was left on a number listed in his name on Saturday.
