Mansfield police officer killed in shooting

EPWORTH — An off-duty Mansfield city police officer was one of two dead and his older brother was in custody following a shooting early Wednesday in central Ohio’s rural Richland County, authorities said.

Brian Evans, 37, a 14-year veteran of the Mansfield police force, was found dead after 1 a.m. by officers responding to a call of a disturbance and shots fired at a home in Weller Township, northeast of Mansfield, according to a joint statement from the police department and the county sheriff’s office. Larry Evans, 39, the brother of Brian Evans, was being held as a suspect at the sheriff’s office.

Deputies who responded to a call at 1:11 a.m. were fired on multiple times outside Larry Evans’ house. He surrendered peacefully around 4:40 a.m.

Brian Evans had received many awards for police work. He is survived by his wife and a 10-year-old daughter, Tess.

“He was most known for his humor, his love for his wife, and the deep bond they shared with their daughter,” the police department said in a statement.