Suspected Killer of Ohio Sheriff's Deputy Suzanne Hopper Was Previously Committed for Insanity, Released

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (CBS/AP) Police say the suspect in the fatal weekend shooting of western Ohio sheriff's deputy Suzanne Hopper had been committed to a mental facility, after a standoff at a camping area in another part of the state nine years ago.

Fifty-seven-year-old Michael Ferryman and Clark County Deputy Suzanne Hopper died in Saturday's shooting near Springfield, about 100 miles west of the 2001 shooting. Another police officer was wounded.

Morgan County Sheriff Tom Jenkins said Monday that Ferryman fired several times at deputies during the earlier standoff in central Ohio. They had responded to complaints that Ferryman shot at other campers who took firewood from a community pile. No one was hurt in that incident.

Jenkins says Ferryman was found not guilty of felonious assault by reason of insanity in 2003 and committed. He was released in 2005.

The 40-year-old Hopper, married mother of two who was killed in the shootout Saturday, was known for her dedication to the job and adherence to keeping herself safe, said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly. The former officer of the year was wearing a protective vest, but it didn't shield her from the gunfire that killed her, he said.

Hopper once went six straight years without calling in sick and often put on charity events for the Special Olympics and other causes, Kelly said.

"Her personnel file is filled with accolades and commendations and always service before self," he said.

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