Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal addressed the media on Friday with updates on an officer-involved shooting that occurred the prior Thursday. A 911 call reported a car crash at the intersection of W. Third Street and Sweetman Street, whereupon officers responded to the scene, as detailed in an ABC6 report. Once there, they witnessed a man, later seen in body cam footage, fleeing the crash site with a firearm in hand. The ensuing foot chase concluded with the man standing over a drain, gun in hand, and officers opened fire, striking the suspect multiple times.
During the conference, Afzal presented both audio clips and visual aids, including dash and body cam videos, to give insight into the moments leading up to the shooting. According to WDTN’s coverage, these showed the man bending down for an unknown reason before he was shot. After being given commands and apparently brandishing a handgun, the officer was forced to use their weapon decisively. The injured individual, now identified as a man in his mid-30s with a history of offenses, was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
The Dayton Daily News states that the officer involved is a six-year veteran of the force with a record of commendations and reprimands. This officer is currently on administrative leave and awaits evaluation by a doctor, affirming the department’s standard procedure following such incidents. “We don’t shoot them if they don’t present a threat,” Chief Afzal assured, indicating the rarity of firearm use during police responses to suspicious individuals…