Woman fatally shot, man in custody

SANDUSKY — A woman was shot and killed in Sandusky Wednesday evening and a man was taken into police custody after a standoff. The incident occurred at a home in the 700 block of Sycamore St. and a large-scale police response began around 5:40 p.m. after the shooting was reported. A standoff ensued and some of the officers on scene entered the home. "Upon entering the residence, officers were confronted by a male suspect, Jerry Watkins, (age 37), who was armed with a knife. Watkins retreated to the second floor and barricaded himself inside a room," Sandusky police Chief Jared Oliver said. Inside the home, officers found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds, Oliver said. Police and EMTs removed her from the scene and took her to a local hospital, where she later died. The woman was not identified as of late Wednesday. Police could be seen firing tear gas into the home while giving verbal commands for Watkins to come out. Police placed a ladder against the second-story window where he could be seen, but soon after, he emerged from the front door in the custody of the officers who had already entered the building. Watkins appeared to be bleeding from a wound on his throat and EMTs could be seen putting pressure on the area while loading him onto a gurney and into an ambulance, which then departed for a local hospital. Oliver described his wounds as "self-inflicted." As of late Wednesday, Watkins' current health status after being hospitalized was not clear. Police also did not state as of late Wednesday if Watkins had been formally charged in the woman's death and what charges he faced.