‘He tried to kill me,’ Police shoot, kill man holding knife to girlfriend’s throat

By Maya Morita

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    Ohio (WEWS) — The Ohio BCI is investigating a fatal shooting that involved an Alliance Police officer Sunday afternoon.

According to police, they were called to an apartment on South Linden Avenue around 1:45 p.m. for reports of a man holding a woman at knifepoint.

Five Alliance police officers responded. The first responding officer spotted 59-year-old George Appleby holding the knife to the throat of his girlfriend, 68-year-old Anita Tucker, investigators said.

Appleby then ran into the apartment locked the door and used the woman as a human shield, police said.

Officers forced open two doors and found Appleby upstairs, holding the knife to the Tucker’s neck, according to Lt. Don Wensel.

Police said after Appleby refused to drop the knife, one officer fired two shots.

Appleby was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He tried to kill me with a butcher knife,” Tucker told News 5. “I shouldn’t wish death on nobody, but he deserves what he got.”

Tucker was transported to a hospital where she was treated for cuts to her throat and then released.

No officers were injured.

Wensel believes the officer was left with no choice but to use deadly force.

“Had the officer not fired, I believe the female would be dead right now,” Wensel said. “The only outcome that would have been acceptable is rescuing the hostage and removing the hostage taker.”

Tucker said she considers the officers to be her heroes

“They saved my life,” she said.

The officer who shot Appleby has been on the force for more than two years. BCI says it could take several weeks or months to finish the investigation. The findings will be turned over to the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office.

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