Dayton man pleads guilty in deadly shooting of speeding driver

Montgomery County Common Pleas Court stock photos. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Montgomery County Common Pleas Court stock photos. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

A man was convicted Monday of shooting and killing a man who had been speeding through his Dayton neighborhood in May 2021.

Christopher Oakes, 53, of Dayton, pleaded guilty to one count each of involuntary manslaughter, discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, having weapons while under disability and tampering with evidence, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Two counts of murder and felonious assault were dismissed.

Oakes reportedly fired a gun across the roadway May 16, 2021, near Boltin Street and Hamilton Avenue, killing 22-year-old Jacob Osborne.

Christopher Oakes. Photo courtesy Miami Valley Jails.

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Dayton police responded to a traffic complaint around 10 p.m. May 16, 2021, on Huffman Avenue after a caller reported a man in a pickup truck was speeding up and down the street and yelling at her, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center records.

During the investigation, police learned the truck was on the railroad tracks on Huffman Avenue. Osborne was found dead inside the truck with an apparent gunshot wound.

A preliminary investigation indicated Osborne was speeding throughout the neighborhood, said Dayton police Maj. Jason Hall.

“During this time, the victim was shot while operating the vehicle on Hamilton Avenue,” he said. “After being shot, the vehicle continued on and traveled the railroad bed until coming to rest in the 300 block of Huffman Avenue.”

A witness identified Oakes as the suspect, police said.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30. Oakes is facing at least 22 years in prison, according to court documents.

The plea was filed on Monday, the same day Oakes was scheduled to go on trial and his 53rd birthday.

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