Michael E. Hance was a 51-year-old resident of Copley Township, Ohio. He was described by acquaintances as quiet, eccentric, and not well-liked in the community. Hance had no prior criminal record but exhibited signs of mental instability, including delusional behavior and compulsions that suggested a possible undiagnosed mental illness. He lived with his girlfriend, Rebecca Dieter, and had recently been under stress due to caring for Dieter's father, who suffered from dementia, and losing his job at a copy store. Neighbors reported tensions between Hance and the Johnson family, who were his next-door neighbors, including disputes over property maintenance.

On the morning of August 7, 2011, Michael Hance embarked on a shooting spree in his neighborhood. He first shot his girlfriend, Rebecca Dieter, multiple times at their residence; she survived the attack. Hance then proceeded to an adjacent house, where he fatally shot Dieter's brother, Craig Dieter; Autumn Johnson, 16; her grandparents, Russell and Gudrun Johnson; and Amelia Shambaugh, 16, who was visiting and seated in a parked car. He continued his rampage by chasing and killing Bryan Johnson, 44, in a nearby driveway. Hance then entered another home, where he found and killed 11-year-old Scott Dieter, who was hiding in the basement. Other occupants in the house were unharmed. The spree ended when Hance was confronted and fatally shot by Copley police officer Ben Campbell and former officer Keith Lavery.