Lancaster man facing new charges in shooting deaths of family members
Apr 02, 2025
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Lancaster man accused of killing two family members and injuring a third in February is facing a new set of charges.
Kyle Varney, 26, was formally indicted on 18 felony charges in connection with the Feb. 25 shooting, according to Ohio Attorney General David Yost.
T
hose charges -- all of which include a firearm specification -- are:
2 counts of aggravated murder (unclassified felony)
4 counts of murder (unclassified felony)
1 count of attempted aggravated murder (first-degree felony)
2 counts of attempted murder (first-degree felony)
6 counts of felonious assault (second-degree felony)
3 counts of improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or in a school safety zone (second-degree felony)
Varney was initially arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder and six counts of felonious assault. The other charges were announced on Wednesday.
Varney is accused of shooting and killing both his father and grandfather, and shooting and wounding his mother at the family's home on the 1200 block of North Broad Street.
When Lancaster police arrived at the scene, one of the officers fired their gun at Varney, who suffered from a gunshot wound. Officials never said if the officer was responsible for injuring Varney or if the injury happened before the officer arrived.
Body camera footage released by Lancaster police showed Varney eventually came out from behind the home and was ordered to crawl to officers before being taken into custody.
Varney remains in custody; a preliminary hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled.
A separate Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) into the officer shooting remains ongoing. ...read more read less