Teen charged in Middle Point shooting

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

MIDDLE POINT — A Lima teenager is in custody today following a shooting Tuesday night in Middle Point.

Blake R. Kimmet, 19, is being held in the Van Wert County Correctional Facility this morning on a charge of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree.

According to Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach, his office received a 9-1-1 call at 9:01 p.m. Tuesday reporting a drive-by shooting near the intersection of Adams and Elm streets in Middle Point. When deputies arrived, they found an unidentified man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Deputies secured the scene and the Middle Point EMS Squad transported the victim to Van Wert County Hospital for treatment.

According to statements from witnesses at the scene and the victim, it appeared the incident was not a drive-by shooting, but a confrontation between the victim and Kimmet that led to the victim’s being shot once. However, the wound was not believed to be life-threatening.

Following the shooting, Kimmet turned himself in voluntarily and was interviewed by county detectives prior to being arrested and charged. He will be making an initial appearance in Van Wert Municipal Court on the charge in the near future.

Sheriff Riggenbach said the investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed in the case.

Detectives are in the process of identifying other possible witnesses at the scene of the shooting so that statements can be obtained from them as well. The sheriff asks that anyone with information about the shooting contact his office at 419.238.3866.

Sheriff’s deputies also called into agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to help process the scene of the shooting. Several items were identified as evidence in the case. Sheriff Riggenbach said deputies from the Allen County Sheriff’s Office also assisted his office in the investigation.