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Woman, 57, dead after standoff; suspect charged

MASURY — A woman was found dead following a standoff lasting several hours Friday at 545 Lucy St., and Andrew Reedy, of Hermitage, Pa., has been charged with first-degree murder in Trumbull County Eastern District Court, according to court records.

Reedy allegedly shot Jane Payton, 57, in the chest. Officers found her dead on the floor after entering the home. Officers began checking other areas of the home and then then heard a gunshot from the second floor and moved back.

Police re-entered the after additional officers arrived on the scene, but after reaching the bottom of stairs and calling out to Reedy, the suspect made a statement and then “racked” the action of a weapon, according to a report released by the Brookfield Police Department on Saturday morning. At that point, officers moved back again and notified the Mahoning Valley Crisis Response team, the report stated.

The standoff began shortly before 11 a.m. Friday, according to neighbors. A hostage negotiator was heard over a loudspeaker at 1:46 p.m., repeatedly urging the suspect to pick up the phone and saying, “Help me help you.”

Family members confirmed Payton’s death and said the suspect had previously been evicted from the home.

The victim’s nephew, Alex Honel, who was at the scene, described his emotions as “angry, sad, so many emotions all at once. We’re doing okay, but still in shock of the whole situation and just want him out of the house,” he said.

“She was a hard worker. She just got a third job,” Honel said, reflecting on his aunt. “She was a great cook, she was nice, and she would do anything for her kids.”

He explained the victim had sought help through the courts because the suspect “just wouldn’t leave.” Honel added that the suspect had been arrested about a month earlier when the victim called police.

“He was a drinker and drug user who couldn’t get clean,” he said. “He was on probation but still missed court dates and drank all the time.”

On the day of the standoff, Honel said the suspect was picked up by a bailiff around 9:30 a.m. and taken to court. He said after the hearing, the suspect somehow got a ride back to the victim’s house.

Honel said “the system should have been better.”

Later in the afternoon, law enforcement confirmed the suspect was alive. An officer communicated with a sniper positioned at a nearby home, stating they had “made contact” with the man inside.

Later in the evening, a family member confirmed that the woman inside the home was dead, allegedly shot by Reedy. The family also reported that Reedy turned the gun on himself. The report issued Saturday stated that Reeedy had a self-inflicted gunshot to the face.

Payton’s family stood nearby during the standoff, visibly shaken as law enforcement from multiple jurisdictions responded.

Brookfield police were assisted by agencies from Vienna, Hubbard city, Hubbard Township, Howland, the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office and Sharon, Pa.

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