LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The suspect involved in Friday night’s shooting with Lima Police officers was released from prison in January of 2025 on charges of failure to comply with a police officer.
Emerson Jeffrey, 35, is in custody and currently being treated at a Columbus hospital after he allegedly exchanged gunfire with Lima officers just before 11 p.m. Friday on the south side of Lima following a traffic stop.
In 2021, Jeffrey pleaded guilty in Guernsey County to failure to comply with a signal officer and obstructing official business after a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 77. According to the Daily Jefferson, he admitted during that case that he was trying to kill himself or have a police officer kill him during the incident. The newspaper reported that was his sixth felony case spanning Ohio and Florida.
In 2011, Jeffrey pleaded guilty to burglary and tampering with evidence charges in Hardin County.
A still-unnamed Lima Police officer was injured by gunfire during the incident and is listed in stable condition at a local hospital. A passenger in Jeffrey’s car was also injured but has since been treated and released.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
