Afzal said it appears the officer fired once. When asked if the man shot at police, the chief said he was not aware of any exchange of gunfire.
Around 1:10 p.m., Dayton officers were doing targeted enforcement focused on violent offenders when they learned of a possible stolen vehicle.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol aviation unit was helping direct Dayton officers get to the vehicle when Dayton police encountered a man in a pickup truck blocking their way near Hoover and Miller avenues, Afzal said.
Officers told the man to get out of the truck.
“At some point he does get out of the vehicle with what appears to be a handgun in his right hand and runs,” the chief said. “The officers engage him at that point and one of our officers discharged his handgun.”
The man was taken into custody and transported to the hospital. Investigators recovered the handgun.
The stolen vehicle was found nearby, and the suspected driver was taken into custody. They had a medical issue and were also taken to the hospital, according to police.
Afzal declined to say if the man was a threat to officers at the time of the shooting.
“That’s getting into the perspective of the officer and what the officer observes. I’m not going to make a comment on that because that’s what the investigation needs to reveal,” he said. “I’m not going to comment about what the officer perceived.”
The chief said it appeared the man was trying to get away from police but noted whether he was a danger to others is part of the investigation.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is handling the criminal investigation. Once it’s completed the Dayton Police Department Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an administrative investigation.
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