John Richard Varney, 48, of Lancaster, Ohio, was one of two men found dead inside a North Broad Street home after police responded to a distress call on the evening of February 25, 2025. Officers encountered his 26-year-old son, Kyle Varney, in the front yard armed with a shotgun; Kyle fired at a woman who was trying to leave the house and police returned fire. The woman survived her injuries.

Following the scene and an investigation, a Fairfield County grand jury indicted Kyle Varney on 18 felony counts, including two counts of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, and multiple counts of attempted murder and felonious assault, with firearm specifications. The Lancaster Police Department also requested assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to review the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting; a separate review of the police response is ongoing.

John Varney was a Liberty Union High School graduate and Hall of Fame athlete, and worked for more than two decades as a foreman with Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local Union #189. His funeral was held at the high school gymnasium, and he was buried at Basil Memorial Cemetery in Baltimore, Ohio. Can anyone who knew John or who has information about that night contact investigators?