OH · May 14, 2022
20-Year Feud Ends in One Final Shot
A retired nurse is standing at her neighbors' front door on a Saturday morning in rural Ohio - and she will not leave. Police bodycam footage, two 911 calls, and a doorbell camera capture the 21 minutes between the first call and the confrontation at the open garage on Werger Road.
Reconstructed timeline
Times from synchronized camera clocks and dispatch records.
9:13 AM
911 call opens as a neighbor dispute
Portage County dispatch (Dispatcher Skotschir) creates incident #2022-00001218 at 8643 Werger Rd. (Windham Twp.) after Richard Knerem calls reporting his neighbor, Cora Baughman, pounding on his door.
9:16 AM
Dispatch identifies the neighbor as "Cora B"
CAD entry records the subject's name; dispatch continues gathering details as Deputy 1 begins responding.
9:20 AM
Knerem's second 911 call: "pointing a gun at him"
Richard Knerem calls 911 again to report Cora Baughman is now in his garage and pointing a gun at him; he and wife Barbara retreat to a back bedroom.
9:22 AM
Garrettsville PD Sgt. Whan dispatched as mutual aid
Unit 903 (Sgt. Keith Whan, Garrettsville PD) responds to assist Portage County's primary deputy.
9:29 AM
Sgt. Whan stages at Stanley and Werger
Whan waits for another unit before proceeding down Werger Rd., per his own interview and the CAD log.
9:31 AM
Knerem: subject trying to break window, pulling door handle
Richard Knerem tells the dispatcher Baughman is now trying to force entry into his house.
9:32 AM
Deputy 1 and Sgt. Whan arrive on scene
Both officers exit their vehicles and walk down the driveway toward the open garage; CAD notes "she has 40 in hand, giving her commands" ("40" = radio code for gun) within the same minute.
9:32 AM
Commands to drop the gun; subject retreats into garage
Deputy 1 repeatedly orders Baughman to drop the gun and show her hands; per the BCI video-analyst summary she raises both hands (still holding the revolver), says "No, I'm going to go in and I'm going to kill them," then turns and retreats into the garage.
9:33 AM
Officers close distance to the garage; final commands
Both officers approach the open garage; Deputy 1 yells "drop it," the subject says "no," and - per the deputy's own account - turns and points the revolver at him.
9:33 AM
Shots fired, subject down
Deputy 1 fires his weapon; witnesses estimate 12-15 shots in rapid succession. CAD logs "SHOTS FIRED SUBJECT DOWN." Sgt. Whan is staged behind an SUV in the garage and does not fire. At least two bullet-impact sites (garage door, interior wall) were later measured and marked "BI 1.0"/"BI 2.0" by…
9:34 AM
Shots-fired broadcast and squad requested
Sgt. Whan radios dispatch that shots were fired and asks for a squad; CAD logs "112-MAKE NOTIFICATION" then "903 START SQUAD SUBJECT IS DOWN." Officers begin first aid, applying pressure and gauze to the gunshot wound.
9:35 AM
Ring doorbell shows the aftermath in the driveway
The Knerem home's Ring doorbell camera shows the driveway with emergency vehicles present; this clip is the only camera file successfully processed for this case.
10:43 AM
Cora Baughman pronounced deceased
After life-saving efforts by responding officers and EMS, Baughman succumbed to her injuries at University Hospital Portage Medical Center; pronounced deceased by Dr. Purpura at approximately 1043 hours.
9:15 AM
Autopsy performed
Assistant Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. David Dolinak performs the autopsy; BCI SA Arvin Clar attends. Cause-of-death findings and toxicology results are redacted from the released investigative reports.
12:00 AM
DNA lab report: Baughman's DNA on the revolver
Ohio BCI Laboratory report finds Cora Baughman as the major DNA contributor on swabs of the trigger/trigger guard, grip, cylinder/buttons, and front-sight area of the recovered revolver, plus a presumptive-positive blood stain on the grip/cylinder matching her profile.
12:00 AM
ATF firearms trace: revolver identified
ATF Firearms Trace Summary identifies the weapon as a Charter Arms "Off Duty" .38 Special revolver, serial 983960, purchased by William Sebastian in 1987 and sold to the late John Malzen in 1989-90; the chain of custody to Cora Baughman is not established in the released file.
12:00 AM
BCI closes its investigation, refers to the prosecutor
BCI forwards its findings to the Portage County Prosecutor's Office for review of the legality of the shooting; BCI's own investigation makes no determination of fault. No subsequent charging decision, grand jury outcome, or adjudication is documented in this case's released records.
Scene maps
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