Dayton man who was arrested after 100 mph police chase indicted for murder

A man indicted Friday by a grand jury reportedly shot and killed a man in Dayton earlier this month before he was arrested by Dayton police following a chase that reached 100 mph.

William Gerald “Gerry” Hefner, 57, of Dayton, is facing two counts of murder, three counts of felonious assault, two counts of having weapons while under disability and one count each of tampering with evidence, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Hefner is accused of shooting 48-year-old Matthew Smith of Dayton of on June 1. Smith died from injuries later that day at Miami Valley Hospital, according to Dayton police.

William "Gerry" Hefner. Photo courtesy Miami Valley Jails.

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The shooting was reported around 10:48 a.m. in the 100 block of Centre Street, not far from Fifth and Linden in East Dayton. A woman called 911 and said her boyfriend and friend were involving in a shooting, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch records.

A man who was working on Centre Street also called 911 after a man reportedly ran up to the front door and said he was shot.

The man told dispatchers it appeared the injured man, later identified as Smith, was shot in the upper left side of his abdomen, according to dispatch records.

Hefner was identified as a suspect in the homicide. He was driving a red truck on June 7 when a Dayton officer recognized him, according to Dayton Municipal Court records. Dash camera footage captured a police chase involving Hefner, which reportedly reached speeds of more than 100 mph.

Hefner ran red lights, stop signs and drove into oncoming traffic during the pursuit, according to an affidavit.

The chase ended in Trotwood near Salem Avenue and Denlinger Road after the truck came to a stop against a pole in a grassy area.

Hefner’s bond was set at $1 million earlier this week in municipal court. He remains held in Montgomery County Jail.

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