Scott Ries, a 54-year-old sergeant with the Rittman Police Department, was killed in the line of duty on
July 5 as he and other law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call about a break-in and shots fired in Wayne County.
Sgt. Ries died at the scene, 90 Chippewa Trail, at about 10 p.m. — the first Ohio peace officer killed in the line of duty this year.
Four other peace officers — all deputies and members of the SWAT Team from Medina and Wayne counties — were also struck by gunfire in the ambush, as was a K-9.
Earlier in the night, the suspect had fatally shot two civilians — his former partner, Christine McWilliams, 44, and her 13-year-old daughter, McKinley — before he took his own life.
Sgt. Ries, a 10-year veteran of the Rittman PD, had worked in law enforcement for 30 years. He began his career with the Sugar Grove Police Department, in Fairfield County, then spent 19 years with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office before moving to Rittman, about 20 miles southwest of Akron.
He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and two daughters.
After the sergeant’s funeral on July 10, Rittman Police Chief Robert Shows expressed his gratitude on social media.
“The list of those who have supported us is simply too extensive to recognize individually, and we are still working through hundreds of messages and gestures of support — many of them given anonymously,” he wrote. “We have been touched by the compassion shown not only from our own community but from people across the country.”
More recently, in a July 31 statement, he wrote: “As we enter a new month, our officers have removed their mourning bands, and the American flag in front of the police department has been returned to full staff. While these actions represent a step toward healing and a return to our daily duties, they do not mark an end to our grief. We will continue to honor the life and service of Sgt. Scott Ries and keep his family, along with the McWilliams family, in our thoughts as they endure an unimaginable loss.”