Ernest F. McKnight Jr. shot during raid

The investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is ongoing after a Lawrence County officer shot a suspect while executing a search warrant.

At about 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and the Lawrence County Drug and Major Crimes Task Force executed a search warrant concerning trafficking in drugs at 464 Township Road 256 in Kitts Hill.

Upon entering the residence, deputies were allegedly confronted by 64-year-old Ernest F. McKnight Jr., according to a press release from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.

McKnight allegedly refused to put down a weapon, at which point Detective Sergeant Aaron Bollinger, fearing for his life, shot McKnight, the release stated. McKnight was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Lawrence County Coroner’s Office.

Bollinger has been a deputy with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office since 1998 and a member of the Drug Task Force since about 2001.