BUCKEYE LAKE, OH (July 13, 2025) — Richard Lindgren, the man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Benjamin Hawk outside Louie’s Corner House in Buckeye Lake, has been taken into custody without incident in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
According to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, Lindgren was apprehended after a South Carolina State Trooper spotted the suspect’s cream-colored 2011 Buick Lucerne — the same vehicle identified in a nationwide BOLO (Be On the Lookout). The trooper, with assistance from Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Deputies, safely stopped the vehicle and arrested Lindgren late Saturday.
The arrest comes less than 24 hours after a nationwide warrant was issued for Lindgren, 59, following a deadly shooting just before midnight on July 11 outside the bar located at 11174 Hebron Road in Buckeye Lake. When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered Hawk deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
Licking County detectives acted quickly, working overnight to gather witness statements and process the scene. Their investigation led to Lindgren being named the prime suspect.
Key to the arrest were multiple Flock Safety license plate recognition (LPR) camera hits in South Carolina, which alerted investigators to Lindgren’s likely route. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office had been coordinating closely with law enforcement agencies across South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida throughout the day Saturday.
Detectives from the Licking County Sheriff’s Office are now en route to Orangeburg to continue the investigation and begin the extradition process.
No further details have been released about a possible motive in the shooting.
