Deputy shoots man reportedly drinking gasoline at MetroPark
A Montgomery County Sheriff ’s deputy shot a man Sunday evening at Possum Creek MetroPark and the incident is under investigation.
Officials declined on Monday to release the identity of the man who was shot and would not the identity of the deputy involved in the shooting. It’s also unclear at this time what led to the deputy shooting the man, and the man’s condition.
A sheriff ’s office spokeswoman declined to give specifics when asked by the Dayton Daily News, and she cited an ongoing investigation. The sheriff ’s office’s Special Investigations Unit is conducting a criminal investigation of the incident, and the department’s Inspectional Services Unit is handling the internal investigation.
The Dayton Daily News has requested public records, including any cruiser camera and body camera footage of the incident, but didn’t immediately receive it Monday.
The sheriff’s office did issue a press release that said the incident began when a caller told sheriff ’s office dispatchers that a man had been speaking incoherently for more than an hour and was acting like he was under the influence of drugs. The caller also said the man suddenly took off running without shoes.
Five Rivers MetroPark rangers were dispatched to the park on Frytown Road around 8:28 p.m., but it was a sheriff ’s deputy who was already in the area who arrived at the scene first.
The deputy found the man and requested a medic because the man was drinking gasoline, according to the sheriff ’s office. Additional deputies and rangers were also dispatched to help.
Before the additional first responders were able to arrive, the deputy reported that the officer-involved shooting had taken place.
The man was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for a single gunshot wound.
The deputy was also transported to the hospital due to a medical condition that resulted from the incident, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy has been released from the hospital and is on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol following an officer-involved shooting.