Middletown man who fired shot charged with inducing panic

A Middletown man was charged with inducing panic, endangering children and discharging a firearm in the city after he allegedly fired at least one shot Sunday afternoon in the 2000 block of Queen Avenue.

Tyler Rinear, 21, of Monroe Street, allegedly fired a shot after going to the residence of his former girlfriend and seeing her sitting on the porch with a man. Witnesses said as Rinear walked away, he pulled a black handgun and pointed it at the man’s vehicle and then in the direction of his former girlfriend.

He fired one shot toward the ground, witnesses said.

Several neighbors said they heard what appeared to be a bullet ricocheting. Police found a bullet hole in the siding of a nearby house, but the resident was unsure if the hole was new.

Officers were told that Rinear left the area in a white Honda. He was found behind a six-foot privacy fence in the 100 block of Moore Street. He refused to surrender and he kept walking toward a Rumpke trash can and recycling bin, police said. He was ordered to the ground and told to lay on his stomach with his hands out, police said.

That’s when Timothy Villano, 19, of Trenton, walked out from behind the fence with a camera around his neck. He was ordered to the ground by officers, but he refused their commands. He told officers he was filming them. He was placed on the ground, tried to get up, then was pushed down again, police said.

The officer had his gun pointed at both subjects, according to the report. Both subjects were handcuffed.

Police found a loaded Glock, a .380 handgun, in the recycling bin, according to the report.

Villano was transported to Middletown City Jail, where he was charged with obstructing official business.

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