Two suspects in custody after shots fired during altercation in Uhrichsville

UHRICHSVILLE ‒ Two males are in custody after shots were fired during an altercation early today in the 600 block of North Dawson Street.

According to a press release from the Uhrichsville Police Department, the agency received multiple calls for shots fired on Dawson Street at 12:09 a.m.

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Witnesses reported hearing one to three gunshots and saw a white Toyota 4runner leaving the area at a high rate of speed before a second set of shots were heard. Uhrichsville police requested the assistance of Dennison police and the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office to help patrol the area for the vehicle and/or anyone else that may have been involved.

A sheriff's deputy stopped a vehicle matching the description on U.S. Route 250 about 10 minutes after the initial call came in. The deputy determined that it was the vehicle involved in the shooting. New Philadelphia police also assisted.

There were seven people in the vehicle, four juveniles and three 18 year olds, police said. A Uhrichsville police officer interviewed the occupants of the vehicle and learned that the people in the vehicle had an altercation with a 17-year-old male in Uhrichsville, who pulled out a handgun and fired several shots. One of them struck the vehicle.

The people in the vehicle then left the scene. About a block down the street, one of the 18-year-old passengers fired multiple shots from the vehicle.

Charges filed

That man was arrested and taken to the Tuscarawas County Jail on felony charges of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. Additional charges are possible, police said. A firearm, magazine and one bullet casing were found in the vehicle.

Officers from Uhrichsville, Dennison, the sheriff's office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol then went to the residence of the 17-year-old in Uhrichsville and took him into custody without incident. He was taken to the Muskingum County Juvenile Detention Center in Zanesville, where he is being held on a charge of felonious assault. Additional charges are pending.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Two suspects in custody after shots fired during altercation in Uhrichsville