Dec. 23—A 34-year-old man and a Dayton police officer were taken to the hospital after being wounded during an exchange of gunfire at a stop in Washington Twp. on Tuesday.
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said the man appears to be in life-threatening condition and the officer is in non-life-threatening condition. The officer was alert and stable when he was transported to the hospital.
He also said it appears the Dayton officer was hit by shrapnel, but it was unclear what exactly hit the officer.
The man reportedly fired several shots during the standoff on Brookway Road — first while in the garage and later from a front room in the home.
When the man fired from the front of the house, a Dayton officer and a sniper with the sheriff’s office returned fire, Streck said.
The man indicated that he had shot himself and went to the door once the shooting was over. The man appeared to have shot himself once and was also hit once by law enforcement, Streck said.
Crews took him into custody and started medical treatment before he was taken to hospital.
Streck said Ohio BCI was called in to handle the entire investigation.
The incident started at 9:26 am after the deputies were called for a welfare check at the house. The man was having a mental health issue and made several statements of concern.
When his mother tried to call 911, he took her cell phone, Streck said.
The man’s parents left the house and went to a neighbor’s to call 911.
Initially a negotiator and SWAT crews were called and they were working. As they established the location, investigators learned that there were weapons in the home, mostly shotguns used for hunting, Streck said.
Crews received a warrant and a full SWAT call was issued.
At one point the man fired several shots while in a garage. It was unclear what he was shooting at, Streck said.
The negotiators continued to work with the man for hours, but his mental health deteriorated.
He started shooting again, this time from a window at the front of the house, prompting crews to return fire.
Streck said he was not familiar with the man and did not think he had a history with the sheriff’s office.
The man is expected to face charges for having weapons while under disability, inciting panic and interfering with utility payments.
Mental health calls have continued to increase in recent years and are unfortunately becoming all too common, the sheriff said.
“I’m sorry for the family and friends, and I’m also sorry for the Dayton police officer and deputy sheriff’s office who have to deal with this incident when we’re supposed to be going into a time of celebration of the week,” Streck said.
The sheriff’s office had a crisis intervention team mental health professional on scene. Streck said the man spoke with a mental health professional, as well as the sheriff’s office negotiator.
Streck also acknowledged the difficult situation that family and friends are in when they are trying to get help for their loved ones during a mental health crisis.
He said that the family did the right thing, especially considering the weapons that the man can access.
“This family called us here to try to help their 34-year-old son and we did everything we could. I was listening to the negotiator who was so kind and gentle with him,” Streck said. “…We’re glad they called. We believe he was in a state where escalation was going to happen.”