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Officer shot himself, says police director
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
DAYTON — Dayton Police Officer Donald Fink shot himself in the stomach early Tuesday morning before claiming he was shot by someone else, according to Dayton Police Director Julian Davis.
Davis said Fink shot himself with a revolver that he had stolen from the police department's property room.
Extras
Fink was assigned to the property room Feb. 19 through March 5 of this year.
Fink, 31, said he was shot after he got out of his cruiser to investigate a shadowy figure that appeared in his rear-view mirror while he was patrolling Livingston Avenue.
A bullet hit Fink's body armor, preventing him from being seriously injured. However, he was treated and released from a local hospital before he was questioned by investigators.
He was later put on paid administrative leave after a preliminary investigation revealed that the shooting did not happen the way Fink said it did, according to Dayton Police Director Julian Davis.
Wednesday morning, Dayton police released copies of the radio traffic regarding the shooting, which occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Fink panted and spoke in incomplete sentences as he told a dispatcher that someone fired a round into his stomach.
"Our investigation to this point has determined that Officer Fink's version of events did not take place," Davis said. "We can say with certainty that Officer Fink was not shot by an unknown suspect, and we are stating with certainty that there is not a suspect at large in the Linden Heights neighborhood."
The police believe Fink was shot, but Davis declined to comment on whether or not Fink shot himself.
Fink's body armor was taken to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab to be examined.
Fink has been with the police department for five years.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2414 or kwynn@DaytonDailyNews.com.
