It was a deadly day on the 6 and 24 bypass in Napoleon on Wednesday.
The day began with a pursuit in Wood County around 4:15am, when deputies there tried to pull over a speeding vehicle. The driver fled in the vehicle at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Law officers eventually deployed stop-sticks to bring the vehicle to a stop on U.S. 24 near Industrial Drive on the north side of Napoleon. As officers approached the vehicle, the suspect brandished a handgun. For the next four hours negotiations ensued, trying to get the driver to exit the vehicle, but at about 8:20am, the suspect turned the gun on himself, and suffering fatal injuries. The victim and suspect was identified as 38 year old Bryan Freed of Manhattan, Kansas, who was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled with the Lucas County Coroner’s Office later this week. Law officers did not discharge their weapons in the incident, and U.S. 24 was closed in both directions for nearly 4 hours.
Then just after 10:30am Wednesday, a three-vehicle crash on the 6 and 24 bypass in Napoleon was investigated. With traffic stopped in the westbound lane of the highway, a semi driven by 47 year old George Mousa of Dearborn, Michigan struck the rear of a car driven by 21 year old Noah Jones of Perrysburg. The impact pushed the car into the rear of another truck that was stopped in traffic, causing fatal injuries for both occupants in the auto. Pronounced dead at the scene were 21 year old Noah Jones of Perrysburg, and his passenger, 20 year old Keegan Walborn of Maumee. The Highway Patrol reports George Mousa and a passenger in his truck were both taken to the Henry County Hospital with minor injuries.