CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — A female instructor was shot and killed Sunday morning inside the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium, and the man police say shot her later turned himself in to Cuyahoga Falls police, according to city officials and the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department.
Police responded to the Natatorium at 2345 Fourth Street after receiving reports of the shooting on Sunday, Oct. 18. According to a news release from the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department, a man entered the facility at around 9:30 a.m. and shot the instructor before fleeing the area, setting off a search for the suspect through the morning.
Based on their preliminary investigation, police said the suspect targeted a single victim, and the incident is believed to be domestic-related. Police said they do not believe there is any active threat to the general public, and neither the police release nor city officials reported any other injuries in the information released on Sunday.
The woman who was shot was transported to Summa Health System’s Akron campus, where she later succumbed to her injuries, according to city officials. Her name had not been released as of Sunday afternoon; the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office said the victim was 61 years old. Police said they were working to notify her family before releasing her name.
City officials reported that the suspect later turned himself in to Cuyahoga Falls police. Police identified the man as Craig Alan Sipe, 63, of Akron. Sipe has been charged with aggravated murder and is being held in the Summit County Jail; he is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, Oct. 19. Investigators have not publicly detailed what led up to the shooting beyond describing it as domestic-related and targeted.
The Natatorium is expected to remain closed for the remainder of Sunday and on Monday while the investigation continues. The closure shuts down the city-run recreation and wellness center on Fourth Street — the facility where the instructor worked — through Monday, interrupting the pools, fitness areas and regular programming the center hosts for residents.
The case is still under investigation, and police said additional information will be released as it becomes available, including the victim’s identity once her family has been notified. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story identified a different man as the suspect, based on an initial media report. The Cuyahoga Falls Police Department has since identified the suspect as Craig Alan Sipe, 63, of Akron. We regret the error.
