Armed suspect who tried to breach Cincinnati FBI building dead after standoff, police say

An armed suspect is dead after an attempted breach of a Cincinnati FBI building led to an hourslong standoff in rural Clinton County, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.

According to OSP, it started around 9 a.m. when an armed man attempted to breach FBI Cincinnati’s visitor screening facility in Kenwood.

An alarm went off and FBI special agents responded when the man fired a nail gun at law enforcement personnel, sources tell NBC News. The man then held up an AR-15-style rifle before fleeing in a vehicle north onto I-71 leading Ohio State Highway Patrol on a pursuit.

Police said during the pursuit, the suspect fired shots from his vehicle before getting off the highway, stopping near Smith Road in Clinton County.

That’s when police said the suspect and officers exchanged gunfire, leading to a standoff.

Law enforcement officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect during the standoff but were unsuccessful.

Around 3:42 p.m., after hours of negotiations, officers attempted to move forward and take the suspect into custody but those efforts also failed, OSP said.

The suspect later raised a firearm toward law enforcement and shots were fired by officers. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, OSP said.

No officers were injured during the standoff.

Police have identified the suspect as 42-year-old Ricky Walter Shiffer from Columbus.

According to the Associated Press, federal agents are looking into whether Shiffer may have had ties to far-right extremist groups.

The AP reports Shiffer is believed to have been in Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and may have been present at the Capitol on the day of the attack, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter. He was not charged with any crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, the official said.

A review of an online account in the name of Ricky Shiffer on former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social website shows recent posts made, one during the standoff Thursday.

The account has been taken down from the platform.

The last post happened during the standoff with police, it read, “Well, I thought I had a way through bullet proof glass, and I didn’t. If you don’t hear from me, it is true I tried attacking the F.B.I., and it’ll mean either I was taken off the internet, the F.B.I. got me, or they sent the regular cops while…” The post apparently ended mid-sentence.

And he replied to another person on Thursday, saying, “I do not expect to save America, I do expect to die trying. If, when I am gone, you stick to this pseudohistorical line that America doesn’t use violence, you deserve what happens to you. Your children, unfortunately, do not.”

Before the account was disabled, it said Shiffer was a construction mechanic in Columbus, Ohio. WLWT is working to confirm that information.

The incident comes days after federal agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

FBI Director Christopher Wray released a statement following the attempted breach and fatal standoff:

“Unfounded attacks on the integrity of the FBI erode respect for the rule of law and are a grave disservice to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect others. Violence and threats against law enforcement, including the FBI, are dangerous and should be deeply concerning to all Americans. Every day I see the men and women of the FBI doing their jobs professionally and with rigor, objectivity, and a fierce commitment to our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution. I am proud to serve alongside them.”

The Cincinnati FBI office released a separate statement about the incident Thursday night and said they will be investigating the shooting.

“On August 11, 2022, at approximately 9:15 a.m., an armed male subject attempted to breach the Visitor Screening Facility at the FBI Cincinnati Field Office. The subject eventually fled and was encountered by the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement near Wilmington, OH. The subject shot at law enforcement officers. During the incident, law enforcement also fired their weapons. At approximately 3:45 p.m., the subject was shot and is deceased. The FBI is now reviewing this agent-involved shooting. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under investigation by the FBI’s Inspection Division. The review process is thorough and objective, and is conducted as expeditiously as possible under the circumstances.”

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WLWT is working to learn more and will continue to update with the latest information as it comes in.