Man Wounds Three With Rifle in Ohio Town
By JOE MILICIA
Associated Press Writer
GENEVA, Ohio (AP) -- A man opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle on the town's main thoroughfare as residents headed to work Tuesday, wounding three people. The gunman was killed.
Police Chief Dan Dudick would not confirm the man killed himself but said no one else, including police, had fired any shots.
The shootings took place about 500 feet from an elementary school. Several children were on their way to class, but none were hurt.
Michael J. Harwood, 32, of nearby Madison fired about 50 shots from a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle fitted with a telescopic sight, the police chief said.
Dudick would not discuss a possible motive but said Harwood was aiming at a specific car, whose driver was wounded and in guarded condition at a hospital. A second motorist was wounded and was listed in satisfactory condition. A pedestrian was treated for a gunshot wound and was released.
The man opened fire while walking down a sidewalk at about 8 a.m., said mechanic Bob Hill, who ducked behind cars for safety.
Milt Berry, who was working on a telephone cable, and a co-worker jumped into the hole they had dug, called 911 on a cell phone and stayed there until police arrived.
Geneva is a town of about 6,500 residents some 45 miles northeast of Cleveland.
We always talk about timing...... Doubt this will have any impact for the demos.