AKRON, Ohio — Police believe an Akron man killed his fiancée before he took his own life early Thursday.
Officers responded to the 600 block of Brittain Road after the victim's 11-year-old daughter called police during an argument between her mother and her mother's fiancé. The girl said she heard gunshots and found her mother unresponsive in the basement.
Officers pronounced the 35-year-old mother dead at the scene. Her 7-year-old son was also home during the shooting.
Shortly after discovering the woman, officers were called to the 1400 block of Virginia Avenue to locate the suspect. When officers arrived, they found the 35-year-old man standing in the driveway with a gun in hand. As officers approached the man, he shot himself in the chest. He was taken to Akron City Hospital, where he later died.
Authorities have since identified the suspect as Demetrius T’Juan Butler, a member of the Twinsburg Fire Department. WKYC has been told he previously worked for the Tallmadge and Norton departments part-time.
His fiancée has not yet been named, and both of her children are in the care of their father.
Twinsburg Mayor Ted Yates and Fire Chief Tim Morgan issued a joint statement Thursday afternoon, noting that Butler had been a full-time member of the department since April 3, 2018.
"He was a valued member of our team with years of experience brought from other area departments he has worked with and has helped advance our department through Fire and EMS instruction. Demetrius has touched many lives throughout several communities in which he has served," the statement said.
