The suspect who attempted to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati was killed by law enforcement during an hourslong standoff, Ohio police announced Thursday afternoon.
The man was identified as Ricky Walter Shiffer, who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, sources told CNN. Social media accounts that appear to have belonged to Shiffer, accounts that were wiped or suspended on Thursday, contained posts about saving ammunition and expressing a desire to harm the FBI.
The suspect was shot and killed by officers after he raised his weapon at law enforcement following unsuccessful negotiation tactics, police said, according to NewsNation’s Evan Lambert.
Northbound Interstate 71 was shut down after the suspect fired a nail gun at law enforcement, held up an AR-style rifle, and drove away from the Cincinnati field office’s visitor screening facility on Thursday, a local NBC affiliate reported.
Police said the man was followed by highway patrol, and police said the suspect got off the highway and stopped before the suspect and law enforcement exchanged gunfire in what turned into a standoff, according to the report.
Ohio State Police spokesman Lt. Nathan Dennis said the suspect was wearing body armor and was pronounced dead on the scene. An investigation into the motive of the suspect is still ongoing, according to NBC News. No officers were injured in the exchange.
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Shiffer was seen in photos taken the day of the Capitol riot, law enforcement officials told NBC News. However, it is unclear whether he breached the building, and it does not appear as though he was charged in connection with the riot.
Shiffer appears to have posted on such social media apps as Truth Social and Twitter. The last post on his Truth Social account looks to have been sent after the attempted breach of the FBI building.
“Well, I thought I had a way through bullet proof glass, and I didn’t. If you don’t hear from me, it is true I tried attacking the F.B.I., and it’ll mean either I was taken off the internet, the F.B.I. got me, or they sent the regular cops while,” the post said.
The Truth Social account, which has since been wiped, had a bio that read: “I am a construction electrician in Columbus. I have had accounts blocked, locked, or deleted by ThemTube, Twitter, and, believe it or not, Rumble. On the fifth I tried to explain to Epps that it would only make sense to go into the building if they approved the fraudulent votes. (He of course went back to yelling ‘we have to go IN to to the Capitol.’. I, unfortunately wrote him off as a dumbass.).”
The Washington Examiner also took screenshots of some posts to a Twitter account suspected of belonging to Shiffer that has since been suspended. There, he also spoke of violence against the FBI and collecting ammunition. Posts also contained references to the American Revolution and talk of getting in touch with the far-right Proud Boys group.
The attack on the building in Cincinnati comes a few days after the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which was followed by a rise in calls to arms and threats against the bureau. The search was reportedly part of an investigation into documents at the private club, some of which may have contained classified information.
Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered a statement to reporters Thursday about the raid and announced that the Justice Department requested permission from a federal court to unseal the court-approved search warrant that authorized the bureau’s search of the former president’s Florida residence.
During his remarks, Garland said he could not “stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked. The men and women of the FBI and the Justice Department are dedicated, patriotic public servants.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also released a statement Thursday condemning smears, threats, and violence against law enforcement, including those against the bureau.
“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,” Wray said. “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.”
