Hilltop man killed in officer-involved shooting

A Hilltop man was killed in an officer-involved shooting late Monday morning.

Franklin County sheriff’s deputies weren’t harmed in the shooting, which occurred about 11:40 a.m. at a home at 420 S. Wayne Ave.

Antonio Davila, 53, was identified as the dead man by family and friends, who gathered just beyond the police tape Monday throughout the chilly and rainy afternoon. Davila lived in half of the twostory duplex on Wayne Avenue.

Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, in a brief news conference at the scene, said officers went to the house as part of an undercover narcotics investigation.

He did not say what led deputies to open fire. Baldwin said it was too early in the investigation to provide more details.

Baldwin said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting officers. A BCI truck arrived on the scene just before 1:30 p.m., and Columbus police officers also were present.

Support services are available to deputies involved in the shooting, Baldwin said, adding that any undercover operation is inherently dangerous.

Davila, whom friends called Tony, was a generous, loving father, said his daughter, Stephanie Davila, 23.

“He was a very good dad,” she said, fighting back tears. “He would do anything for anyone.”

Multiple neighbors said Davila was a highly skilled mechanic despite having only one arm.

Chad Maser, of the Hilltop, said he spoke with Davila twice Monday morning about his white, 2002 GMC Yukon, which Davila had been fixing. The vehicle remained parked behind the Wayne Avenue residence as law enforcement officers came and went from the scene Monday.