HUBBARD TOWNSHIP — An hour before an officer-involved shooting took his life, a man — who was armed with two shotguns — told police to “shoot him in the head” to avoid suffering as he led them on a foot chase through woods, police dispatch logs reveal.

The investigation into the Tuesday night shooting death of Shawn Thomas, 56, by police is being conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

BCI investigators refused to name the officers or departments involved in the shooting. A BCI spokesperson said such information will not be made available until after an investigation is conducted.

According to 911 call records, Thomas’ wife called at 9:11 p.m. Tuesday to report that her intoxicated husband threatened to kill her, then turn the gun on himself. She told dispatch that earlier her husband had choked her.

Thomas paced between the hallway and bathroom holding a firearm the wife described as either a shotgun or a rifle, according to the 911 logs.

By about 9:35 p.m., troopers and officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Vienna and Hubbard township police departments had arrived at the home in the 2100 block of Hubbard Masury Road.

Law enforcement pinged Thomas’ cellphone to pinpoint his location. A number of times throughout his exchanges with police, Thomas switched hiding areas, telling officers he has “300 acres to play with,” according to the 911 log. Thomas also threatened to shoot on multiple occasions.

Thomas, armed with at least one shotgun, retreated to a wooded area behind the home, according to the report. His wife told police he possibly was near the shed the couple owned in the backyard.

Thomas indicated to police he would give up but demanded officers stop their pursuit. According to dispatch call notes, Thomas talked about having nobody in his life who could reason with him besides his mother.

At 9:51 p.m., a trooper radioed, “Watch the road that’s where he was at.”

Thomas continued giving mixed signals to officers, at times telling them he did not want to shoot anyone.

“If he wanted to kill, two would be dead now,” the dispatch call log said Thomas stated.

Thomas’ mother and brother arrived at the Hubbard Township Police Station about 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, Thomas told police that concealment is one of his better skills. At one point, he told police to shut off two large spotlights because he was nowhere near there, according to the call logs.

By 10:26 p.m., a perimeter was established around the area. Officers spotted Thomas carrying two shotguns near Van Ness Avenue, according to the report.

The dispatch log documented an exchange between Thomas and law enforcement as they were closing in on him with the K-9 unit.

Dispatch:

“I hear muted yelling, he just said send the dog then. … Male yelled final warning … Male yelled send the (expletive deleted) dog (expletive deleted). … Male yelling, ‘I am asking you to turn light out of my face.'”

By this point law enforcement had eyes on Thomas, who was hiding behind a tree with a shotgun in his left hand.

Thomas yelled to police, “Do not send dog. I don’t want to hurt the dog. I will send the dog to heaven and then be a sorry (expletive deleted).”

Thomas evaded police before again retreating back into the woods and brandished his weapons at police.

The dispatch log reports: “Male yelling, Shut up. Now we have problems … Shots fired! …Male yelled … Male crying … shots fired … Suspect down … Shots fired.”

After the shooting stopped, Thomas still could be heard over the radio dispatch call breathing heavily before falling silent. The silence was broken by the sounds of police closing in on his body.

“Shotgun is away from him, get medical in here now. … Get him cuffed up.”

Thomas was transported by the Eagle Joint Fire District to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A news release from the state patrol indicates that no officers were injured. The patrol listed agencies from Brookfield, Hubbard City, Liberty Township and the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office as having also been on the scene.

cmcbride@tribtoday.com