Sidney police sergeant shot; Suspect arrested, charged after standoff

SIDNEY — Sidney police have released new information about the man accused of shooting Sidney police Sgt. Tim Kennedy late Wednesday night.

According to police, Brandon Steele was arrested Thursday for two counts of committing a felonious assault on a police officer. He is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail.

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In a release, police said the Sidney Piqua Tactical Response team was activated earlier this afternoon after police received information about Steele’s whereabouts. The team and hostage negotiators were able to contact Steele. The police said he surrendered peacefully.

Steele was taken into custody after a standoff at a Sidney house around 3:00 p.m. Thursday, according to our News Center 7 crew on the scene.

Police had a house surrounded in downtown Sidney since early that afternoon. Using a loudspeaker, police demand Steele to come out and surrender.

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The initial incident took place on the 700 block of Lynn Street around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Sidney Police Chief William Balling said officers were serving a felony warrant when 34-year-old Brandon Steele saw the officers and ran.

During the chase, a Sidney officer went to use a Taser on Steele, at which point Steele turned around and fired a gun at the officer. The officer returned fire, but Steele was able to run into a wood line. No one was hit during this exchange of gunfire, Balling said.

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The suspect then came out of the wood line and shot Sgt. Tim Kennedy twice — once in the abdomen and once in the lower leg. The suspect then fled the area, Balling said.

Kennedy was taken to Wilson Memorial Hospital where he was stabilized, and then taken by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital, Balling said. At Miami Valley, Kennedy underwent an hours-long surgery. He’s expected to be hospitalized for several days, Balling said.

Kennedy has been with the Sidney police force since 2007, Balling said.

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After the officer was shot, several law enforcement agencies were called to assist in the search for Steele including the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol. Dispatchers for the Piqua Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed an OSHP helicopter was used in the search for the shooting suspect.

Balling asked the community for prayers for the officer and his recovery.

This was the second law enforcement officer to be shot in Ohio Wednesday night. A state trooper from the Findlay Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol was shot during a traffic stop. That trooper suffered non-life-threatening injuries, however, state troopers are looking for the suspect who was able to get away.

“Law enforcement is a very dangerous career,” Balling said. “These officers are members of our families. These officers have kids. They have family members. They’re one of us in a uniform serving and protecting.”

We’ll continue to update this story as new details become available.

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