Circleville – A manhunt has expanded after being originally thought to be contained in Elseas Trailer Park.
Around 9:30 shots rang out on Villa Drive in Elsea’s mobile home park in Circleville after a fight between two people, one of those people pulled and gun and shot. That person identified as Cody Kitchen was injured in the leg and taken to Berger Hospital and flown to Grant with a gunshot wound.
The shooter retreated into a mobile home where he was staying on Villa Drive when police arrived. OSP, Sheriff’s Department, and Circleville all surrounded the home after calling for a helicopter. When they entered the trailer, the man was gone.
The OSP helicopter picked up a possible suspect leaving the trailer pack back woods on foot and that’s where law enforcement is now concentrating their search.
The suspect is identified as Willaim Rife, a sex offender who just recently got out of prison.
The man who shot someone and is considered armed and dangerous is still at large. Law enforcement believes that he may have been picked up by a person in the area and left Pickaway County.
The search lasted until around 3 am when it was suspended. Other search and law enforcement presence in the area has been ongoing. Shooting Suspect 31-year-old Willam Rife is the person Circleville police are searching for.
He is described as dressed in a yellow shirt and white shorts, with tattoos on his face, possibly armed with a gun. He was staying in Elsea’s mobile home and trailer park at the time of the shooting. Please keep an eye out for him and call 911 if you see him is considered armed and dangerous
The man who was shot is in stable condition and may need surgery on his foot.
