SWAT Standoff Ends in Gunfire

Reconstructed timeline

Times from synchronized camera clocks and dispatch records.

1. 6:34 PM

   Deputies already on scene investigating a rifle-pointing complaint

   Earliest clocked media on this case: Deputy Helfer and Sgt. Sterrick are already on scene talking with neighbors about Perry pointing a rifle at people. This is roughly 33 minutes before the 911 call time (7:08 P.M.) the Ashtabula County Prosecutor's declination letter cites as the start of the…

2. 6:36 PM

   Witness shows deputies cellphone video of Perry pointing a rifle

   Witness 1 explains that Perry pointed a rifle at people and shows Sgt. Sterrick cellphone video of it.

3. 6:45 PM

   Deputy reaches Perry's nephew Nathan by phone

   Nephew Nathan (Lukkarila) tells Deputy Helfer over speakerphone that the family has a history of schizophrenia and that Perry has mental health issues and paranoia, with no history of drug use. Helfer asks him to come to the scene to help.

4. 7:21 PM

   Perry steps outside armed with a rifle; officers draw down

   Perry briefly steps out of the residence with a rifle. Officers unholster their weapons and repeatedly order him to drop the gun ("Put the rifle down!"). Per the Ashtabula County Prosecutor's declination letter, Perry pointed the weapon in the direction of a family member and responding deputies…

5. 7:32 PM

   Deputy Helfer requests an entry/tactical team for the barricaded subject

   Radio and phone communications requesting a tactical entry team.

6. 7:41 PM

   SWAT deputy Hermsdorfer's BWC starts as the tactical response stages

   Lake County Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team response begins arriving; Deputy Hermsdorfer's bodycam starts.

7. 7:42 PM

   PA hailing of Perry begins

   Deputy Hermsdorfer holds his rifle across the car door and begins using the vehicle PA microphone to call out to Perry; PA callouts continue on-and-off for the rest of the standoff.

8. 7:44 PM

   Deputy Wise's BWC starts

   Deputy Wise stands outside an ACSO vehicle in the street with his rifle pointed toward the residence. His camera is the only law-enforcement camera that runs continuously through the fatal shooting six-plus hours later.

9. 8:04 PM

   Deputies interview Perry's brother Joe on scene

   Perry's brother Joe, sitting in a pickup truck near the scene, tells deputies Perry went off his medication about a year earlier, has a redacted medical condition, has a handgun and a shotgun in the house, has locked himself inside, and only leaves to grocery-shop at 3:00 a.m.

10. 8:08 PM

    Deputy stages a less-lethal launcher

    A deputy returns toward the patrol vehicles holding an orange less-lethal launcher and confers with other deputies.

11. Two armored vehicles staged; drones deployed into the residence through the front window

    Per the prosecutor's declination letter, two armored vehicles were brought on scene; law enforcement used one to deploy reconnaissance drones through the residence's front window to observe Perry inside. No exact wall-clock time is established in the available extracts for this step - it falls…

12. Perry fires his shotgun at an occupied armored vehicle (first shot)

    Drone footage confirmed Perry pacing inside the home with the shotgun still in hand; he then fired the shotgun at one of the armored vehicles, which had a law enforcement officer inside it. No clocked media citation is available for this exact moment - report-only, from the prosecutor's…

13. "Throw phone" thrown back out; Perry fires a second shot at the armored vehicle

    SWAT tossed a phone inside to try to reopen communication; Perry threw it back outside. From a covered position inside, he fired a second shotgun round at the armored vehicle, which remained surrounded by officers with one still inside. Report-only, from the prosecutor's declination letter; not…

14. 1:36 AM

    Less-lethal round(s) fired near Deputy Wise's position

    An unknown law enforcement officer near Deputy Wise says "Less lethal" and fires a device that produces an orange flash and smoke near Perry's garage, repeated across several bookmarked frames. This is the clearest clocked citation for a less-lethal deployment during the late-night phase of the…

15. OC gas deployment fails; officer repositions between armored vehicles to retrieve working equipment

    Officers attempted to deploy OC gas inside the residence, which failed due to an equipment malfunction. An officer moved from one armored vehicle to another to retrieve functioning equipment. Report-only, from the prosecutor's declination letter; not independently clock-anchored in the available…

16. 2:16 AM

    Perry aims the shotgun at the moving officer; deputies use deadly force

    During the equipment-retrieval transition, Perry was observed in the window with the shotgun aimed and ready to fire at the officer in motion. Officers used deadly force to neutralize the threat, which resulted in Perry's death. A law enforcement officer near Deputy Wise is heard saying "That's…

17. 2:20 AM

    Deputy Wise's BWC recording ends

    Last frame of Wise's BWC video.

18. 3:16 AM

    Law enforcement enters the residence; Perry found deceased

    Per the prosecutor's declination letter, law enforcement was on scene from 7:38 P.M. May 31 until 3:16 A.M. June 1 (about six and a half hours) before safely entering. When officers entered, the shotgun was found in close proximity to Perry's body. A follow-up drone (DJI_0012) was flown through…

19. 12:00 AM

    BCI crime scene agents recover four drones from the scene

    While processing the scene, BCI crime scene agents located four SWAT-operated drones - two among debris outside the front window, two inside the living room - and collected their SD cards as evidence (crime scene placards 25-28).