OBERLIN, Ohio — A man and a woman were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside a South Pleasant Street home Wednesday morning, minutes after Oberlin police took a suspect into custody nearby, according to an Oberlin Police Department media release reported by Lorain Daily. Police classified the incident as a homicide, and charges against the suspect were pending Wednesday afternoon.
Oberlin College identified one of the two people found dead as Pipo Nguyen-Duy, a professor of studio art and photography who had taught at the college since 1998. “Pipo was beloved. During his years at Oberlin, he touched all of us through his passion for photography,” President Ambar wrote in a message to campus, according to Lorain Daily. Police said the victims were a 64-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman and did not release their names.
The response began at about 8:57 a.m. Wednesday, when officers went to the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot at 77 E. College St. to assist Oberlin firefighters with a vehicle that was smoking and possibly on fire, the police release states. Officers then attempted to locate the vehicle’s registered owner to check his welfare, according to the release.
Police located the suspect, Daniel Jones, 31, of Ashland, Oregon, in the 200 block of Shipherd Circle at about 10:19 a.m. and took him into custody without incident, the release states. About nine minutes later, officers arrived at 33 South Pleasant St. to check on the welfare of the suspect’s family and discovered the two victims inside. The male victim was found on the first floor of the residence and the female victim on the second floor, and both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to the release reported by Lorain Daily. The release did not specify Jones’ relationship to either victim or when the shootings occurred.
Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall confirmed the two deaths in an interview with Lorain Daily and identified Oberlin police as the lead agency. “We were just assisting with the initial searching of the suspect and processing of one of the pieces of evidence, which is a motor vehicle,” Hall told Lorain Daily.
In an earlier public notice, Oberlin police described the incident as “believed to be of a domestic nature” and said the sole suspect had been detained, so there was no danger to the public. Oberlin College confirmed that police requested a shelter-in-place order Wednesday morning, which was lifted after police confirmed there was no danger to campus or the community. Police said investigators were processing the residence and the location where the vehicle was found, with affected areas blocked to traffic.
The college said counseling and other support services are being made available to students, faculty and staff. Lorain Daily reported it has contacted Oberlin police and the Lorain County Coroner’s Office for additional information. The investigation remained active Wednesday afternoon, and police had not announced formal charges against Jones as of the release.