By Steve Neavling
A gunman wearing body armor was killed following an hours-long standoff that began when he tried to breach the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office on Thursday morning.
Ricky Shiffer, 42, tried to breach the visitor’s screening area at 9:15 a.m., activating an alarm and prompting a response by FBI agents, The Washington Post reports.
Driving a Ford Crown Victoria, Shiffer fled and fired a gun at law enforcement as they pursued him on Interstate 71.
The man exchanged gunfire with authorities after stopping on a rural stretch of the road. Attempts to negotiate with the gunman failed, and shortly before 3 p.m., Shiffer raised his gun at police, prompting officers to return fire, authorities said. He was fatally shot.
Shiffer is believed to be tied to the Proud Boys and was in Washington D.C. in the lead up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
The confrontation came as federal law enforcement warned of threats against agents following the raid on former President Trump’s house.
“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,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
