Sandy MaloneCincinnati, OH – The man who was killed after a standoff with law enforcement after he tried to break into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Cincinnati field office on Thursday was a U.S. Navy veteran and avid supporter of former President Donald Trump who was angry about the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
Law enforcement officials who had been briefed on the investigation told ABC News that 42-year-old Ricky Walter Shiffer is a “suspect domestic violent extremist” who participated in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
Shiffer was killed by officers during a standoff in a field off Interstate 71 after he engaged in a gunfight with law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) said that the incident began at about 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 11 when a man wearing body armor, armed with a nail gun and an AR-15 attempted to breach the visitor screening facility at the FBI’s office building, WLWT reported.
Officials said the armed suspect tripped an alarm and FBI special agents responded to the screening area.
OSHP said the suspect fired the nail gun at law enforcement personnel and then held up and AR-15 style rifle before fleeing the building, WLWT reported.
Authorities said the suspect jumped into a vehicle and fled north on Interstate 71.
Troopers pursued the suspect as he stopped near Smith Road in Clinton County.
OSHP Lieutenant Nathan Dennis said the suspect shot at troopers as they chased him and a gunfight erupted when Shiffer stopped, the Associated Press reported.
A six-hour standoff ensued when the shooting stopped and has continued into the afternoon, with I-71 shut down in both directions for hours.
Authorities attempted to negotiate with Shiffer and used “less-lethal tactics” to try to detain the man, but the suspect raised his guns toward officers and was fatally shot, the Associated Press reported.
No law enforcement officers were injured in the chase or standoff.
Officials said that federal investigators are looking into Shiffer’s connections with far-right organizations such as the Proud Boys.
Social media posts showed that the gunman was at the U.S. Capitol on the day of the Capitol riot, but it wasn’t known if he went into the building, and he wasn’t charged with a crime in connection with his participation.
NEW: These photos appear to show Ricky Shiffer, the suspect in the FBI office attack, behind police lines during the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol. Final image is Shiffer's social media profile photo, for comparison. I am not 100%, but the face is a close match. pic.twitter.com/LgRVd4iCPD
— Chad Loder (@chadloder) August 11, 2022
He also allegedly made social media posts on Truth Social urging his followers to “kill the F.B.I. on sight,” FOX News reported.
He allegedly posted an update to his account 30 minutes into the standoff with law enforcement.
“Well I thought I had a way through bullet proof glass, and I didn’t. If you don’t hear from me, it is true I tried attacking the F.B.I., and it’ll mean either I was taken off the internet, the F.B.I. got me, or they sent the regular cops while,” @RickyWShifferJr posted to Truth Social, according to FOX News.
That user also posted a “call to arms” on Monday after former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence was raided by the FBI.
“Leave work tomorrow as soon as the gun shop/Army-Navy store/pawn shop opens, get whatever you need to be ready for combat,” Shiffer wrote. “We must not tolerate this one.”
“They have been conditioning us to accept tyranny and think we can’t do anything for 2 years. This time we must respond with force,” the future gunman posted.
When someone asked if Shiffer was advocating terrorism on his post, the account bearing his name replied, “”No, I am proposing war,” FOX News reported.
More violent rhetoric from the Ricky Shiffer account on Truth Social. pic.twitter.com/nTgbX6FFXX
— Travis View (@travis_view) August 11, 2022
Investigators were looking into posts the gunman allegedly made on other social media platforms as well.
The U.S. Navy confirmed that Shiffer was a U.S. Navy veteran who served on the USS Columbia, the Wall Street Journal reported.
FBI Director Christopher Wray blamed the attack on violent rhetoric that followed his agency’s raid on the former President’s home, NBC News reported.
“Unfounded attacks on the integrity of the FBI erode respect for the rule of law and are a grave disservice to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect others,” Dir. Wray said.
“Violence and threats against law enforcement, including the FBI, are dangerous and should be deeply concerning to all Americans,” he said. “Every day I see the men and women of the FBI doing their jobs professionally and with rigor, objectivity, and a fierce commitment to our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution.”
Holly Matkin
