Warren cops shoot 79-year-old who allegedly shot at them
WARREN, Ohio - Warren police shot a 79-year-old man after he allegedly fired at them.
Michael Lardis tended to his roses and flowers at his Parkman Road home, however some say he terrorized the neighborhood. They say Lardis would often wave guns around and on Sunday night he lost all control firing shots at police.
Kelly Brooks, who lives next door, sys Lardis was upstairs and there were a couple of officers in his backyard when Lardis shot at the police five or six times and the officers fired back.
The call to police began after Mary Wiseman visited her friend Kelly Brooks at her Parkman Road SW home at about 10:00 p.m. in the evening.
Brooks says Lardis had a shotgun and was pointing it at her friend's head.
Brooks says Lardis also used a pellet gun to shoot her upstairs window about six times. She says dozens of rocks on her porch were also thrown by Lardis.
But some neighbors say there was another side to Lardis. Someone who was upset the neighborhood surrounding his boyhood home was in decline.
Several on the block say they have had no problems with Lardis. Resident Mike Shank says Lardis was upset about his neighborhood and the state it was in. He says that the 79-year-old was not shy about voicing his opinion or telling someone they needed to cut their grass or not to sell drugs. Shank also Lardis was upset about the prostitution and fights on street corners near his home.
Some said they witnessed others threatening Lardis and terrorizing him.
Most, including the woman who had a gun held to her head, believe Lardis needs help and needs to be kept away from the community.
He was convicted of aggravated menacing in 2011.
Two Warren police officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave.
Detective Jeffrey Cole tells 21 News that the Warren Police Department has called in the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate the shooting.
Cole says having an outside agency investigate is standard procedure since two Warren officers were involved in the shooting.
Lardis is in stable condition. No charges have been filed against him yet.
