Man ‘serious’ after shooting incident

Paulding County Sheriff’s Office news

PAULDING – A man who barricaded himself in his house for four hours was listed in serious condition this morning in a Fort Wayne, Ind., hospital after he was shot by an officer from the Allen County Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT team.

James Fleenor, 42, of rural Paulding County, was shot in the upper torso after he fired at deputies with a rifle when they stormed his residence in an attempt to end the stand-off.

Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers said the decision to enter the residence was a joint decision by him and Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish.

Sheriff Crish noted that the officer who shot Fleenor, Deputy Gary Hook, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the shooting investigation, per departmental policy.

Criminal charges against Fleenor are also being reviewed by the Paulding County Prosecutor’s Office, following an investigation being conducted by the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Department and a crime scene unit from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.